Iraq expels Swedish ambassador over Stockholm Koran-burning protest

Iraq has ordered the expulsion of Sweden’s ambassador and recalled its chargé d’affaires from Stockholm in anger over a protest that had been expected to involve the burning of a Koran in the Swedish capital.

The diplomatic spat came hours after hundreds of demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy compound in Baghdad early on Thursday, in a show of rage against the anticipated destruction of the Islamic religious text.

A small protest later went ahead outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. Video footage circulated on social media appeared to show a man stepping on and kicking a copy of the Koran. The footage did not show the Koran being burnt.

Iraqi officials said they had ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador because the Koran had been desecrated with the permission of the Swedish authorities.

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Sweden’s foreign minister Tobias Billström said all the embassy staff were safe, but condemned Iraq for “seriously failing” in its responsibility to protect the embassy and its personnel, calling the attacks “completely unacceptable”.

After meeting security officials, Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said his government would prosecute those responsible for setting a fire during the attack on the embassy and said “negligent security officials” would be investigated.

The statement added that Stockholm was warned on Wednesday that Iraq would sever diplomatic relations if the Koran burning went ahead.

Baghdad said it had also suspended Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson’s operating licence.

The burning of a Koran is seen as blasphemous by many Muslims. In the past, the burning of the holy text had sparked violent protests across the world.

Sweden has some of the strongest protections for free speech in Europe and has previously given permission for such protests to be held, even after they sparked riots.

During the attack on the Swedish embassy, Iraqi security forces used water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. Small groups of protesters remained outside the embassy where they performed pre-dawn prayers.

Some of the demonstrators carried flags showing Moqtada al-Sadr, the influential Shia cleric and political leader, and chanted pro-Sadr slogans. Posts on pro-Sadr media suggested his supporters had called the protests.

The cleric commands hundreds of thousands of followers throughout Iraq, and has previously stirred civil unrest. Last summer his loyalists stormed Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone and engaged in deadly clashes with rival groups in which 30 people died and hundreds were wounded.

Last month, a man who said he was an Iraqi Christian immigrant to Sweden burnt a Koran outside a Stockholm mosque during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha. The incident triggered furious reaction from governments in Muslim countries including the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Jordan and Morocco. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2023