Iraqi Protest over Quran Burning in Sweden

 Following the desecration of a Quran in Stockholm, Iraq saw an outpouring of anger and protest as the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad was stormed by hundreds of supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr.

The demonstrators held up the Quran and portraits of al-Sadr, chanting “Yes, yes to the Quran” as they forced their way into the compound for about fifteen minutes before leaving. The incident has been met with a wave of condemnation across the Middle East.

Iraq’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador and urged the Swedish government to hand over the perpetrator so he could be tried in accordance with Iraqi law. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation said it would hold an “emergency meeting” to discuss the situation, while Iran’s Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said the Quran burning was an “insult” against “religious sanctities”.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also denounced Sweden for allowing a protest. The man who burned the holy book has been charged with agitation against an ethnic or national group, and in a newspaper interview, described himself as an Iraqi refugee seeking to ban it.

In its permit for Wednesday’s demonstration, Swedish police said that while it “may have foreign policy consequences”, the security risks and consequences were not of such a nature that the application should be rejected.

Al-Sadr had called on his followers to hold the protest and demand the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador, the cutting of ties with Sweden and to keep burning the LGBTQ flag until the eighth day of the lunar month of Muharram.

This was intended as a further sign of protest against what many perceived as an act of religious desecration and disrespect. The burning of the Quran in Sweden has sparked a wave of condemnation and protest across Iraq and the Middle East.

Despite the Swedish police’s statement that the security risks and consequences were not of such a nature that the application should be rejected, the incident has been met with calls for justice and retribution from many quarters.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has called for an emergency meeting to discuss the situation, while Turkey’s President has denounced Sweden for allowing the protest. It remains to be seen what steps will be taken to ensure that religious sanctities are not compromised in the future.