In the early hours of Thursday morning, hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad, expressing their anger over the anticipated burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden. The protesters scaled the embassy walls and set the building on fire. Fortunately, all the embassy staff in Baghdad remained safe. The Swedish foreign ministry condemned the attack and called on Iraqi authorities to ensure the protection of diplomatic missions.
The demonstration was organized by supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada Sadr, a prominent figure in Iraq with a substantial following. Sadr’s supporters have taken to the streets on several occasions in the past, and this time, they were protesting the second planned burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden within weeks. The call for the demonstration was made through a popular Telegram group associated with the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media.
Swedish news agency TT reported that the Swedish police had granted permission for a public meeting outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, scheduled for Thursday. The application for the meeting stated the intention to burn the Holy Quran and the Iraqi flag.
Videos surfaced on a Telegram group named One Baghdad, showing protesters gathering around the embassy complex, chanting pro-Sadr slogans and eventually storming the building. The situation escalated, leading to smoke rising from a building within the embassy complex. However, the authenticity of these videos could not be independently verified.
Read more: Swedish Government allows Burning of Torahs, Bibles outside Israeli Embassy
The Iraqi foreign ministry also condemned the incident and pledged to conduct a swift investigation to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable. In response to the situation, Iraq asked Sweden’s ambassador to leave the country and recalled its charge d’affaires in Sweden. Iraq had warned Sweden that any further burning of the Holy Quran on Swedish soil would lead to a complete severing of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Late last month, Muqtada Sadr had called for protests against Sweden and the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador following a previous incident where an Iraqi man burned the Holy Quran in Stockholm. The Swedish police charged the man with agitation against an ethnic or national group, as he described himself as an Iraqi refugee seeking to ban the Holy Quran.
This incident had sparked protests outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, with demonstrators breaching the embassy grounds on one occasion. Several Muslim countries, including Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco, protested the incident and sought the man’s extradition to face trial in Iraq. The United States also condemned the burning but clarified that Sweden’s permit for the public meeting upheld freedom of expression and was not an endorsement of the action.
As protests continued, Swedish police approved a permit for a demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, which involved burning holy texts. The initial plan was to burn the Torah and the Bible in response to the Holy Quran burning protest. However, the organizer later canceled the demonstration, stating that his intention was to denounce those who burn sacred books and to highlight the limits of freedom of expression.
Read more: Muslim man wins hearts by deciding not to burn Torah, Bible in Sweden
In conclusion, the storming and burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad were the consequences of rising tensions surrounding the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. The incident highlighted the need for peaceful dialogue and respect for religious beliefs, emphasizing the importance of promoting tolerance and understanding in a diverse world.
