Iraq
A supporter of Iraq's Sadrist movement holds up the Quran outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on June 30, 2023. Photo: AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein on Saturday received a phone call from the United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, discussing the recent burning of a copy of the Quran in Stockholm.
Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika stomped on and burnt pages of the Islamic holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday as Muslims around the world were celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha, sparking angry reactions from Muslim-majority countries.
“These actions raise and develop multiple problems between the countries of the Islamic world and European societies,” Hussein told the UN chief, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
The Iraqi minister added that the burning of the Quran also “feeds the phenomenon of Islamophobia as well as extremist and terrorist ideas … around the world.”
Guterres expressed his condemnation of the “heinous act” in Stockholm, noting that he had been following the reactions to the action, read the statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.
“Such vile act is disrespectful to Muslims who are celebrating the holy occasion of Eid al-Adha,” read a statement attributed to Miguel Moratinos, High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) on Thursday.
The supporters of Iraq’s firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held large protests in front of and near the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday and Friday, calling for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and the extradition of Momika.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Friday called the breaching of the country’s embassy in Baghdad “unacceptable” and urged calm and reflection in Sweden.
Momika’s protest was authorized by Swedish authorities under the principles of freedom of expression and assembly. Kristersson said that “just because some things are legal, they are not necessarily appropriate.”
Spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry Ahmed al-Sahaf on Friday said the ministry had received a letter from their Swedish counterparts condemning Momika’s actions and stating that police have begun an investigation into whether he violated Sweden’s hate crime law.
Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika stomped on and burnt pages of the Islamic holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday as Muslims around the world were celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha, sparking angry reactions from Muslim-majority countries.
“These actions raise and develop multiple problems between the countries of the Islamic world and European societies,” Hussein told the UN chief, according to a statement from the foreign ministry.
The Iraqi minister added that the burning of the Quran also “feeds the phenomenon of Islamophobia as well as extremist and terrorist ideas … around the world.”
Guterres expressed his condemnation of the “heinous act” in Stockholm, noting that he had been following the reactions to the action, read the statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry.
“Such vile act is disrespectful to Muslims who are celebrating the holy occasion of Eid al-Adha,” read a statement attributed to Miguel Moratinos, High-Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) on Thursday.
The supporters of Iraq’s firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held large protests in front of and near the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday and Friday, calling for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and the extradition of Momika.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on Friday called the breaching of the country’s embassy in Baghdad “unacceptable” and urged calm and reflection in Sweden.
Momika’s protest was authorized by Swedish authorities under the principles of freedom of expression and assembly. Kristersson said that “just because some things are legal, they are not necessarily appropriate.”
Spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry Ahmed al-Sahaf on Friday said the ministry had received a letter from their Swedish counterparts condemning Momika’s actions and stating that police have begun an investigation into whether he violated Sweden’s hate crime law.
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