Swedish prosecutors announced on Wednesday that two men will stand trial for setting fire to the Quran in a series of incidents last year that triggered outrage across the Muslim world and heightened concerns about potential jihadist attacks.
The Swedish Prosecution Authority stated that the two men, identified as Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, are charged with "offenses of agitation against an ethnic or national group" for burning Islam's holy book on four separate occasions, including outside a mosque and in other public spaces.
In response to these burnings, Sweden's domestic security service raised its terrorism alert level, while neighboring Denmark, which experienced a similar wave of Quran burnings, tightened its legislation to ban the practice.
Senior Prosecutor Anna Hankkio explained, "Both men are prosecuted for making statements and treating the Quran in a manner intended to express contempt for Muslims because of their faith on these four occasions." The evidence against them is said to be largely based on video recordings.
For many Muslims, the desecration of the Quran, regarded as the literal word of God, is considered a severe offense.
* The Jerusalem Post contributed to this article.