Sweden’s latest Quran-burning demonstration, which this time saw an Iraqi national set fire to the Islamic holy book outside of Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, June 28th, as Muslims celebrated Eid al-Adha, has prompted widespread fury across the Muslim world and a diplomatic debacle for the Swedish government as well.
Sweden’s ruling center-right coalition, despite having condemned the desecration of the Islamic holy book and insisting the stunt “in no way reflects the opinions” held by the government, has faced significant backlash on multiple fronts, including—but not limited to—having its embassy in Baghdad, Iraq stormed by an angry mob, the state broadcaster SVT Nyheter reports.
Incensed by the Quran burning, dozens of protesters led by the Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered outside of the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital on Thursday, June 29th, before storming and occupying the building for 15 minutes prior to the deployment of local security forces. Luckily, no one was injured as the embassy’s staff had vacated the premises before its walls were breached by the protesters.
“We are well informed about the situation. Our embassy staff are safe and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in constant contact with them,” said the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Jordan, Morocco, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates recalled their ambassadors to Stockholm on the same day. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Morocco also summoned Sweden’s Charge d’Affaires over the incident, while Kuwait called the burning a “dangerous provocative step.”
“This new offensive and irresponsible act disregards the feelings of more than a billion Muslims during this sacred period of the great pilgrimage to Mecca and the blessed feast of Eid Al-Adha,” Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
As he has done following previous Quran-burning incidents, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also condemned the action.
A day later, on Friday, June 30th, dozens of Muslims gathered outside of the Riksdag and Sweden’s Royal Place for a mass prayer. The demonstrators, among other things, occupied the spaces, chanted “Allahu akbar,” and demanded Quran burnings be criminalized. Following the demonstration, the organizer urged Muslims to distribute hundreds of Qurans to non-Muslims in Sweden.
The incident’s global fallout didn’t end there, however. Days later, on Sunday, July 2nd, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (ICO), which consists of 57 member countries, called for Quran burning to be banned globally.
Hissein Brahim Taha, ICO’s general secretary, called Quran burnings a “reprehensible act” and claimed that the need for a global ban is urgent. “We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits all advocacy of religious hatred,” Taha said.
The Sweden Democrats-supporter Tidö government effectively bowed to the collective outrage aimed against it, saying in a statement that Quran burnings do not have a place in Sweden and that those carrying them out are “extremists.”
In its statement responding to the ICO, Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote:
We have noted the statement from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Sweden’s government fully understands that the Islamophobic acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden can be offensive to Muslims. We strongly condemn these actions, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government.
The burning of the Koran, or any other holy scripture, is an offensive and disrespectful act and a clear provocation. Expressions of racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance have no place in Sweden or in Europe. Sweden has a constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom of demonstration.
Sweden’s government finds it deeply regrettable that extremists and provocateurs seek such a split between Muslims and non-Muslims.
