Swedish Embassy In Iraq Set Ablaze By Angry Protesters Over Quran Burning

Protesters have razed the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, over reported plan to burn the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in Stockholm, Sweden’s capital.

Videos shared on social media captured the large number of protesters inside the Swedish embassy’s perimeter, with black smoke and fire visible from the building.

Iraqi security forces, equipped with electric batons and water cannons, dispersed the demonstrators and extinguished the fire, according to a security source cited by CNN.

During the demonstrations, three photojournalists from international news agencies were arrested, while another journalist was assaulted and had their camera destroyed, as reported by Ziyad Al-Ajili, the of the Journalistic Freedoms Observatory in Iraq.

The protests in Sweden were triggered by an earlier incident where a man burned pages of the Quran outside Stockholm’s main mosque, causing outrage worldwide, including in Iraq.

Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi who fled to Sweden several years ago, tore up and set pages of the Islamic holy book on fire as Muslims celebrated the Eid al-Adha holiday in June.

Momika’s actions drew widespread condemnations from many countries, with Muqtada Sadr, an influential Shi’ite cleric in Iraq, calling for protests against Sweden and the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador.

According to AFP, Swedish police said Wednesday they had granted a permit for a protest outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, with media reporting the organizers planned to burn the Muslim holy book.

Stockholm police told AFP they had granted a permit for a “public gathering” outside the Iraqi embassy but did not wish to give further comments on what the protesters were planning.

The Swedish police have stressed that they only grant permits for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during them, according to AFP.

At the Baghdad protest eyewitnesses told CNN that the protesters withdrew from the perimeter of the Swedish Embassy after setting part of it on fire “after delivering their message of protest against the act of burning the Holy Book of God.”

The situation led to heated exchanges between Swedish and Iraqi authorities, with Baghdad threatening to sever diplomatic ties with Stockholm over the sanctioned Quran-burning demonstrations.

“Granting permission under the pretext of freedom of expression is viewed as provocative and contrary to international covenants and norms, which emphasize respect for religions and beliefs,” the Iraqi prime minister’s office said.

The Iraqi government condemned the attack on the Swedish embassy and expressed concern over assaults on diplomatic missions. They promised to investigate security officials involved in the incident.

Prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, whose supporters were involved in the protests, accused Sweden of hostility towards Islam and Iraq due to the permission granted for burning the Iraqi flag.

Al Sadr said that “Sweden’s hostility towards Islam and the holy books by giving permission to burn the Iraqi flag means Sweden doesn’t believe in Iraq.

“It’s on the government to not just express condemnation and denunciation as that shows weakness and complacency,” he added.

Swedish authorities strongly condemned the demonstrations in Baghdad, deeming the protesters’ actions completely unacceptable.

Sweden summoned Iraq’s charge d’affaires in Stockholm in response to the incident on Thursday.

Despite the protests, Sweden’s embassy staff in Baghdad remained safe, and the foreign ministry emphasized that attacks on diplomats and diplomatic staff constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention, calling on Iraqi authorities to protect diplomatic missions and personnel.

KanyiDaily had also reported how Over 150 people were arrested after violent clashes erupted during protests in France over the killing of a 17-year-old boy by the police.