Iraq tells Sweden it will cut ties if Quran desecrated again

Iraq told Sweden it would sever diplomatic ties if a Quran is desecrated again, after hundreds of people stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it alight in a protest against plans for one to be desecrated in Stockholm later on Thursday.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said embassy staff were safe but that Iraqi authorities had failed in their responsibility to protect the embassy in accordance with the Vienna Convention.

The Iraqi government strongly condemned the burning of the Swedish embassy, according to a statement from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani which declared it a security breach and vowed to protect diplomatic missions.

But Baghdad had also “informed the Swedish government … that any recurrence of the incident involving the burning of the Holy Quran on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations”, the statement said.

Billstrom said what happened was “completely unacceptable and the government strongly condemns these attacks”. He added: “The government is in contact with high-level Iraqi representatives to express our dismay.”

Thursday’s demonstration was called by supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr to protest against the second planned Quran desecration in Sweden in weeks, according to posts in a popular Telegram group linked to the influential cleric and other pro-Sadr media.

Sadr, one of Iraq’s most powerful figures, commands hundreds of thousands of followers, whom he has at times called to the streets, including last summer when they occupied Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone and engaged in deadly clashes.

Sadr said in a tweet on Thursday that the Iraqi government should not resort only to condemnation and must take a firm position.

“I will wait for the firm official response before any action of my own”, Sadr tweeted.

Swedish police on Wednesday granted an application for a public meeting outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday, the police permit showed, and two people were expected to participate.

Swedish news agency TT reported that the two planned to desecrate the Quran and the Iraqi flag at the public meeting, and the duo included a man who had desecrated a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque in June.

Swedish police denied several applications earlier this year for protests that were set to include Quran desecration, citing security concerns. Courts have since overturned the police’s decisions, saying such acts are protected by the country’s so-called “freedom of speech” laws.

Late last month, Sadr called for protests against Sweden and the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador after an Iraqi man desecrated Quran in Stockholm.

Two major protests took place outside of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in the aftermath with protesters breaching the embassy grounds on one occasion.

The governments of several Muslim countries, including Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco issued protests about the incident, with Iraq seeking the man’s extradition to face trial in the country.