A few dozen Iraqi demonstrators managed to briefly enter the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday in protest after the an Iraqi burned pages of a copy of the Koran in Stockholmindicated an AFP photographer.
The protesters, supporters of Iraqi Shi’ite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, stayed for approximately 15 minutes at the Swedish embassy and left peacefully when security forces arrived.
Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries on Thursday condemned the burning of a copy of the Koran by an Iraqi living in Sweden, and warned it could “inflame” Muslims worldwide.
Salwan Momika, 37, who fled to Sweden years ago, trampled on a copy of the Koran on Wednesday and burned several pages in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque.
The police granted him permission to hold the protest.but the act caused irritation throughout the Muslim world, especially as it coincided with the Islamic holiday of Eid al Ada.
The Iraqi government, in a statement released late Wednesday, strongly condemned “repeated acts of burning copies of the holy Quran by individuals with extremist and disturbed minds.”
“These actions demonstrate a spirit of hatred and aggressiveness that goes against the principles of freedom of expression,” he added. “Not only are they racist, but they promote violence and hate.”
🚨 The Swedish embassy in Baghdad has been stormed after the Swedish government encouraged the burning of the Holy Quran on the day of Eid al-Adha 🇮🇶 pic.twitter.com/HyvXczq0sZ
— أبو سجاد الكربلائي | HST 🇮🇶 (@Twelver313) June 29, 2023
These actions demonstrate a spirit of hatred and aggressiveness that goes against the principles of freedom of expression.
Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr, a figure with great political influence in Iraq, called for a demonstration outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad to demand “the expulsion of the ambassador.”
Iran joined the condemnation, calling the burning “provocative, thoughtless and unacceptable.”
The Taliban government of Afghanistan also reacted furiously to the burning, calling it a “open contempt for this noble religion and its almost 2 billion followers” by the Swedish authorities.
In turn, Saudi Arabia, which has just received 1.8 million pilgrims for the hajj, which concluded on Wednesday, said that “these repeated and hateful acts cannot be accepted with any justification.”
Similarly, Egypt described the burning of the Koran as a “shameful act that provokes the feelings of Muslims” at times that celebrate Eid.
The Swedish embassy in Baghdad was breached by Iraqi demonstrators who had stormed the premises, in response to the desecration of the Quran. On Wednesday, an Iraqi living in Sweden burned the Quran, sparking outrage. pic.twitter.com/5dHHnSiPfv
— Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) June 29, 2023
The burning was also condemned by the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as Morocco, which recalled its ambassador to Stockholm.
Morocco also criticized the Swedish government’s “complacency” in the burning. In Lebanon, meanwhile, the powerful Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement accused the Swedish authorities of “complicity in the crime.”
The incident also caused anger in Turkey, where Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan considered that “closing one’s eyes to such atrocious acts means being complicit.”
In January, a Danish-Swedish right-wing extremist burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, also angering Muslims around the world.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
TIME
#Iraqis #enter #Swedish #embassy #Baghdad #protest #Quran #burning #video