A planned Koran burning in Sweden's capital of Stockholm has prompted Iraq to expel its Swedish ambassador, while hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in response to the anti-Muslim action.

Anti-Islam activists in Sweden, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant who burned a copy of the Koran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the religious tome outside the Iraqi embassy on Thursday.

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In the two-man event, the protesters partially destroyed a book they said was the Koran but left the area after an hour without setting it alight. 

The Koran, the central text of Islam, is believed by followers to be a revelation from God, with millions considering its desecration not only deeply offensive, but a hate crime against Muslims.

Sweden does not have a law that specifically prohibits the burning or desecration of the Koran or other religious texts and nor does it have any blasphemy laws.

 

Bagdad embassy stormed

The action has sparked anger and counter protests in Sweden and many Muslim-majority countries. Swedish embassy staff in Baghdad had to be relocated temporarily to Stockholm on Friday after the building was stormed by protesters on Thursday.

Iraqi security forces had to disperse hundreds of demonstrators who stormed the main gates of the embassy, with videos posted on social media showing a large number of protesters inside the Swedish embassy's perimeter and fire coming from the building.

Security forces were seen chasing the protestors and using water cannons to both disperse the demonstrators and put out the fire. Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said staff at the embassy in Baghdad were safe but Iraqi authorities had failed in their responsibility to protect the embassy.

The Iraqi government condemned the assault on the embassy, according to a statement from the office of 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 Koran on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations," the statement said.

Earlier in the day Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador in protest at the planned burning, while Iran's foreign ministry announced it had also summoned Sweden's ambassador in Tehran to "strongly protest against the desecration of the holy Koran," state media reported.

Türkiye called the events in Stockholm a "despicable attack," while Saudi Arabia also reported it had summoned Swedish diplomats over the event.

A Swedish foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed its ambassador in Iraq had been called on but declined to comment on what was said during the meeting. An Iraqi government statement said Baghdad had also recalled its charge d'affaires in Sweden.

In Lebanon, the head of the powerful armed group Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Islamic nations to follow Iraq in expelling Sweden's ambassadors and withdrawing their envoys from the country.

 

West condemns response to burning

Sweden's Billstrom said the storming of the embassy 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."

In Washington, the State Department condemned the attack on the embassy and criticized Iraq's security forces for not preventing protesters from breaching the diplomatic post.

The European Union said it looked forward to "swift adoption of the necessary security measures" by Iraq to prevent further incidents.

Thursday's demonstration was called by supporters of Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest at the second planned Koran burning in Sweden in weeks.

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.

He stood by the embassy storming on Thursday, telling a press conference the U.S. "has no right to condemn the burning of the Swedish embassy but should have condemned the burning of the Koran."

Further protests were held on Friday in Baghdad, Beirut, and Tehran.

 

Burnings hurting Sweden's security, NATO bid

Sweden has seen several Koran burnings in recent years by far-right and anti-Muslim activists. Some have sparked clashes between police and protesters in Sweden.

With the burnings prompting outrage in the Muslim world, Swedish security services said such acts left the country less safe.

The police rejected some applications earlier this year for protests set to include Koran burning, citing security concerns, but courts have overturned those decisions, saying such acts are protected by Sweden's far-reaching freedom of speech laws.

However, the government has said it is considering legal changes that would allow police to stop public burnings if they endanger Sweden's security.

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