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Following the burning of a Quran outside a mosque in Sweden by an Iraqi refugee, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) media outlet called on Muslims to take revenge.
On July 4, 2023, the pro-ISIS Sarh Al-Khilafa media outlet released a poster titled "Where are the lovers of Paradise? The gates have opened."[1]
The poster depicts a hooded figure next to a question mark and a knife, beside images of Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee who publicly burned the Quran on June 28, 2023, a date that coincided with Eid Al-Adha; and Rasmus Paludan, a far-right Danish politician who staged many similar Quran burnings in the past.[2]
'Lovers Of Paradise'
The poster's text begins by imploring supporters to defend the faith: "Where are the lovers of Paradise, the bearers of the Quran? Where are the people of turbans [i.e., clerics], the people of killing and fighting? The gates of Paradise have been opened [to them.]"
It explicitly links the call to events in Sweden and perceived slights to Muslims and Islamic symbols: "Attack the dogs in the statelet of Sweden – may Allah punish it – who burned the Quran and encroached upon the messenger of Allah – peace and blessings be upon him – and defamed him and disgraced his honor."
The text calls for violence to avenge this injustice. Referring to Momika, the text adds: "Disembowel him, behead him with swords, shoot him, run over him with a car, or defile the earth with him."
In closing, the poster calls for supporters to "go forth, seeking the winds of Paradise, one of two righteous deeds," referencing victory and martyrdom.
The poster closes with the hashtag "Burning the Pages and Bombing the Mosques," a hashtag that does not appear to have generated any traction on mainstream social media websites at the time of publication.
Several pro-ISIS individuals and accounts have released content condemning the Quran burning incident, including one on June 1 by UK-based pro-ISIS preacher Anjem Choudary calling for the worldwide implementation of Sharia' law.[3]
[1] Telegram, July 4, 2023.
[2] See MEMRI JTTM Report: Islamic State (ISIS) Supporters React To Quran Burning In Stockholm, Call For Muslims To Attack 'Crusaders And Their Apostate Lackeys', January 31, 2023.
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