The World Briefly

July 21, 2023

The Right to Burn

Iraq

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Iraq cut diplomatic ties with Sweden on Thursday as hundreds of Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, the latest show of anger over another planned burning of the Quran in Stockholm, the Financial Times reported.

Video footage on social media showed Iraqi protesters attempting to break down embassy doors and smoke rising from a building in the compound that houses the Swedish diplomatic mission.

Some demonstrators carried flags depicting influential Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who had called for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador.

Swedish officials swiftly condemned the attack and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered authorities to investigate the matter.

Still, hours later, al-Sudani expelled the Swedish ambassador and ordered Iraq’s chargé d’affaires to withdraw from the Iraqi embassy in Sweden, the New York Times added.

The diplomatic incident came after Swedish authorities allowed two protesters to proceed with the burning of the Islamic holy book and the Iraqi flag in front of Iraq’s embassy in the Swedish capital.

While the individuals did not burn the objects, they kicked around the book and stomped on the flag.

The desecration of the Quran – a blasphemous act in Islam – has been particularly problematic in Sweden, which has some of the strongest protections for free speech. The country has previously given permission for protests featuring the burning of the Quran.

Last month, an Iraqi asylum seeker in Sweden burned pages of the Quran in front of a mosque in Stockholm, sparking outrage across many Muslim-majority nations.

The situation has raised concern about the impact of Quran burnings on national security, foreign policy, and diplomatic relations between Sweden and Muslim-majority countries.

This story originally appeared in the July 21, 2023 newsletter, Null and Void.