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Sweden's authorization to burn the Quran, generated real discomfort between the Nordic country and Iraq, which threatened to "break diplomatic relations" in case of a new episode of burning of the Holy Book, according to a message released by the office of Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani. In the early hours of Thursday, the 20th, the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, was set on fire during a protest organized by the followers of an Iraqi religious leader, hours before the public burning of a copy of the Koran, scheduled to take place in the Scandinavian country.
Nearly 20 protesters were detained after the fire, according to a security force source. The authorities decided to “bring to justice the perpetrators of the fire who were arrested”, according to the prime minister's office. Sweden's foreign ministry said in a message that officials "are safe" and condemned the attack. "What happened is totally unacceptable and the government condemns these attacks in the strongest possible terms," said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström, who summoned Iraq's chargé d'affaires in the country for consultations.
The fire at the embassy was brought under control, according to an Iraqi Civil Defense source and an interior ministry official, and the demonstrators were dispersed by agents from anti-riot units who used water jets. The Swedish police decided to authorize the protest in compliance with legislation on the rights of freedom of assembly and expression. "The constitution states that many reasons are needed to deny a person a permit for a public assembly, so the day before yesterday we granted a permit for an individual to protest," said Ola Osterling of Stockholm Police.After the event, Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani "ordered the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad to leave the territory," according to a statement from his office. The decision was taken because of "the Swedish government's repeated authorization to burn the holy Koran, insult Islamic sanctities and burn the Iraqi flag". Authorities have also decided to suspend the operating license of Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson, according to a statement carried by state news agency INA.
The protest in Baghdad was organized by followers of the influential religious leader Moqtada al Sadr, after Swedish police authorized a demonstration on Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, in which one of the organizers intends to burn a copy of the Koran and an Iraqi flag. “We didn't wait until morning, we entered at dawn and burned down the Swedish embassy,” said a young protester, as he chanted the name of the Shiite leader.
On the outskirts of the diplomatic building, some demonstrators displayed copies of the Koran and portraits of Mohamed Sadr, an important religious cleric and Moqtada's father. “We mobilized to denounce the act of burning the Koran, which only represents love and faith”, said Hassan Ahmed. "We demand that the Swedish government and the Iraqi government stop this type of initiative."
Iraq's foreign ministry condemned "in the strongest terms" the acts at the Swedish embassy, which had already been the target of an attack by demonstrators a few weeks ago. However, when mentioning the possibility of burning the Koran, the Iraqi government denounced "provocative gestures" that constitute "a threat to public peace" and an "incitement to the culture of violence and hatred". Salwan Momika, the Iraqi refugee living in Sweden who announced on Facebook his intention to burn the Koran on Thursday, set fire to some pages of the Muslim holy book outside Stockholm's largest mosque on June 28, during the Muslim Feast of Sacrifice. At the time, the Swedish government condemned the “Islamophobic” burning of a Koran. In a statement, they said: “The Swedish government understands that Islamophobic acts committed by individuals in Sweden may be offensive to Muslims. "We strongly condemn these acts, which do not reflect the positions of the Swedish government," he added.
The act provoked a wave of international criticism and unease in the Muslim community. The burning of holy books has happened before in Sweden and in other European countries, sometimes on the initiative of far-right movements, which has generated demonstrations and diplomatic tensions. On July 15, a 32-year-old Muslim man, who had intended to burn a copy of the Torah and a Bible in Stockholm, withdrew from the project. He told the press that his intention was actually to denounce people who burn holy books like the Koran in the Nordic country. “It is a response to people who burn the Koran. I want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be taken into account. “I want to show that we should respect each other, we live in the same society. What I wanted to show is that it is not right to do this”, he added”, declared the Swede of Syrian origin.
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