This Video Predates the Recent Incident of Quran Burning in Sweden
The Claim
A video shows Afghan Taliban members exploding the Swedish flag with a grenade launcher in response to burning a copy of the Quran in Sweden recently.
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Emerging story
Social media users recently circulated a video that purportedly shows Afghan Taliban members using a grenade launcher to explode the Swedish flag displayed on a wall.
Users claimed that the video was a response to an individual burning a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Sweden during Eid.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the widely circulating video and found the claim to be misleading.
A thorough reverse image search revealed the video making the rounds to be outdated and unrelated to the recent incident of burning a copy of the Quran in Sweden.
The Video Predates the Recent Incident of Burning the Quran
Contrary to viral claims, the video was shot in Afghanistan in February 2023.
According to reports, Taliban fighters used a rocket launcher to detonate the Swedish flag at the time after Sweden granted permission for Danish political activist Rasmus Paludan to burn a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy building in Stockholm.
Newsline World uploaded the video to YouTube as a video report about the incident on February 10, 2023.
The video’s description reads, “Taliban militants from Afghanistan used guns and a rocket launcher to burn a Swedish flag seen as an act of revenge for the burning of the Quran in Stockholm. | via Kirby Ghil Trinidad.”
Daily Mail also published shots from the video on February 8, 2023.
Swedish Flag Exploded in Retaliation to Quran Burning
Several media outlets published a video showing Taliban militants in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan, shooting and subsequently burning a Swedish flag. The video was shared in response to far-right activist Rasmus Paludan being granted permission to burn a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
Following the flag incident, on January 27, numerous protests took place in Kabul, where thousands of angry Afghans expressed their discontent over the Quran burning in Sweden.
Rasmus Paludan, the extremist with Danish and Swedish citizenship, actively carried out repeated protests in front of a Turkish embassy at a mosque in Copenhagen. He openly declared his determination to continue these daily protests until Sweden is accepted into NATO.
Amidst tense relations between Sweden and Turkey, the decision to allow the burning of the Quran in Stockholm was made.
Recent Quran Burning Incident in Sweden
Salwan Momika, reportedly an Iraqi resident in Sweden, burned a copy of the holy Quran outside the central mosque in Stockholm. This act occurred on Wednesday, coinciding with the first day of Eid al-Adha, a significant festival in the Muslim calendar.
As a result, dozens of individuals forcefully entered the premises of the Swedish embassy in the capital of Iraq, Baghdad, following a Quran-burning incident during a protest in Sweden.
Muslim Countries Condemn the Incident
The Quran burning received widespread condemnation from numerous countries with Muslim-majority populations.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan strongly criticized the Quran desecration as "despicable." The Moroccan kingdom's foreign ministry expressed its condemnation and rejection of the act, summoning Sweden's chargé d'affaires in Rabat.
The Saudi foreign ministry also condemned the burning, stating that such acts of hatred are unjustifiable.
In response to the incident, Iraq summoned the Swedish ambassador. Kuwait's Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the burning as a dangerous and provocative action that fuels the sentiments of Muslims worldwide. The United Arab Emirates summoned the Swedish ambassador to protest against the burning of the Quran.
In addition to the previously mentioned countries, Qatar, Palestine, Syria, Yemen, Jordan, and Egypt also condemned the Quran burning incident.
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