“Iraqi Refugee Salwan Momika Kicks Qur’an but Avoids Burning, Al-Sadr Supporters Storm Embassy in Baghdad as Stockholm Allows Another ‘Protest'”
The Iraqi government took the decisive step of expelling the Swedish ambassador in response to the planned burning of the Quran in Stockholm. The controversial event had sparked outrage among protesters, leading to the storming and setting alight of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
As a further measure, Baghdad also announced the recall of its charge d’affaires in Sweden, while suspending the working permit of Sweden’s Ericsson on Iraqi soil.
Protesters in Stockholm, Sweden, kicked and partially damaged a book believed to be the Qur’an in a controversial event. Despite obtaining permission from Swedish police to conduct the burning outside the Iraqi embassy, the protesters ultimately left the area without setting the book on fire.
In response to the incident, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was stormed by hundreds of supporters of Shi’ite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr. The embassy complex was visibly affected, with smoke rising from one of the buildings, and protesters were seen on its roof. However, security forces intervened, and firefighters managed to control the situation.
The Iraqi government strongly condemned the attack on the embassy, declaring it a security breach, but also warned the Swedish government that any recurrence of a similar incident on Swedish soil would lead to the severing of diplomatic relations.
Various countries and international entities expressed their condemnation of the attack. The US State Department criticized Iraq’s security forces for failing to prevent the incident, while the EU called for swift adoption of security measures to avoid future occurrences.
Shi’ite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr responded defiantly, arguing that the US should condemn the burning of the Qur’an instead of the Swedish embassy attack.
In reaction to the incident, Turkey condemned the attack as a “despicable act” and called on Sweden to take decisive measures to prevent such hate crimes against Islam. Iran’s foreign ministry also summoned Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran to protest the desecration of the holy Qur’an.
The situation surrounding the Qur’an burning in Sweden is protected by the country’s freedom of speech laws, authorized by Swedish police. However, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has described the event as “legal but inappropriate,” and the government is considering legal changes to allow police intervention in similar cases if they pose a threat to national security.
