- Protests Erupt in Baghdad and Tehran Over Quran Desecration in Denmark
- Iraqi Security Forces Disperse Demonstrators Attempting to March to Green Zone
- Sadr Supporters React to Third Apparent Quran Desecration Incident, Demanding Action
On Saturday, Iraqi security forces dispersed approximately 1,000 supporters of Shia Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr who attempted to march to Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies, believing that a Holy Quran had been desecrated in Denmark.
The demonstrators were reacting to reports of a third apparent desecration of the Muslim holy book in a month, with the first two incidents in Sweden already causing diplomatic tension.
On Friday, the Danish far-right group Danske Patrioter uploaded a video to its Facebook page showing a man desecrating a Holy Quran and trampling an Iraqi flag.
Copenhagen police deputy chief Trine Fisker reported “not more than a handful” of demonstrators Friday outside the Iraqi consulate.
“I can also affirm a book was burned. “We have no idea which book it was,” she stated. It was quite tranquil.
Sadr, who has millions of followers among the country’s majority Shia population and exerts significant influence in national politics, has called for action in response to the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
After Copenhagen, his supporters gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square early dawn Saturday, some carrying Sadr portraits.
“Yes, yes to the Quran!” shouted predominantly young male demonstrators.
Security troops damaged two bridges to the Green Zone, where government institutions and international embassies are. The protesters attempted to force their way through before being forced back by the officers.
After scuffles, the demonstrators dispersed, a ministry official told AFP anonymously.
The official stated that protesters attempted to access the Danish embassy.
Iraq’s foreign ministry condemned “the desecration of the Holy Quran and the Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi embassy in Denmark” early Saturday morning.
According to the ministry’s statement, “these actions provoke reactions and place all parties in precarious situations.”
In a secondary statement, it was stated “We cannot allow this to happen again”
Baghdad’s “full commitment” to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations guarantees “the protection and security of diplomatic teams.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari tweeted that he and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian “jointly expressed” their strong condemnation of the recent “abhorrent act of desecration” in Sweden.
“I stressed that Islamophobic incidents foment religious intolerance, bigotry, and provocation and are never justifiable,” said Bilawal.
He added that the two states would engage with other OIC members to “confront and combat Islamophobia.”
Protest in Tehran
In Tehran, Iran, protesters chanted, “Down with the United States, Britain, Israel, and Sweden” on Friday. Some individuals torched the Swedish flag.
Iran announced late Friday that it will not accept a new Swedish ambassador.
Saturday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani issued the following statement in response to the Copenhagen incident: “The Danish government is liable for preventing insults to the Holy Koran and Islamic sanctities, as well as prosecuting and punishing those who insult them… The Islamic world is waiting for the Danish government to take action.”
Separately, hundreds of Sadr supporters stormed and burned the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, on Thursday morning, in response to the planned desecration of the Muslim holy book in Sweden, weeks after the same agitator desecrated the Holy Quran in Sweden.
Iraq condemned the assault on the Swedish embassy but expelled the Swedish ambassador. Sweden later announced that its seconded diplomatic staff and operations were temporarily evacuated from Baghdad to Sweden for safety.
After Friday prayers, hundreds of Sadr supporters gathered in Baghdad’s Sadr City, chanting support for the Holy Quran.
The chameleon-like figure, who has reversed his position several times over the years, announced in April that he was “freezing” his movement for a year, although the decision would not impact religious activities. In August 2012, he announced his retirement from politics.
The actions of Salwan Momika, an Iraqi exile residing in Sweden, sparked condemnation throughout the Muslim world.
Additionally, protests broke out in Tehran and Lebanon. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates summoned the Swedish charge d’affaires on Friday to denounce “the repeated attacks and abuses on copies of the Holy Quran committed by extremists” in Sweden, according to the foreign ministry in Abu Dhabi.
Iran announced late Friday that it will not accept a new Swedish ambassador, and its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei branded Momika’s protest in Sweden “dangerous” in a statement issued on Saturday.
“All Islamic scholars concur that the perpetrator of this crime deserves the harshest punishment,” Khamenei added, calling for Momika to stand prosecution in an Islamic nation.
After the initial sacrilegious act occurred at the end of June, Pakistan also condemned the “despicable act.”
Political, religious, shopkeeper, journalist, and civil society activists protested the destruction in Rawalpindi and Islamabad on July 7.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom referred to Momika’s protest as “a clear provocation” that “in no way reflects the opinions of the Swedish government,” while emphasizing the “constitutional right to freedom of assembly, freedom of expression, and freedom to demonstrate.”
Sweden has limited political support for a moratorium on the desecration of the Holy Quran.
Experts and politicians said on Friday that there is limited political will in Sweden to ban Holy Quran desecrations that have angered large portions of the Muslim world, including Pakistan, and that it would be difficult to implement even if there were support for such a move.
Due to Sweden’s laws, current politics, and social traditions, it is unlikely that such incidents will be stopped anytime soon. Swedish courts have determined that law enforcement cannot prevent the desecration of sacred texts.
Although the two most recent desecrations of the Holy Quran could be challenged in court for inciting hatred. It is widely believed that the act is protected by the Constitution’s expansive free speech laws.
To amend the constitution requires a vote in parliament, followed by a general election, and then another vote.
National security concerns prompted the government of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to announce last week that it would assess whether there was a need to amend the Public Order Act to allow police to prevent desecrations of the Holy Quran.
The issue of desecration of the Holy Quran has potentially jeopardized Sweden’s NATO membership. If Sweden desecrated the Quran, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to expel it from NATO.
Sweden’s quest to join NATO was launched in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, Turkish President Erdogan stated earlier this month that he would submit Sweden’s NATO application to parliament.
The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) introduced a resolution that was adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on July 12 urging states to evaluate their laws that prohibit the prosecution of “religious hatred”.
Christian Democratic vice-prime minister Ebba Busch claimed Sweden’s laws were unaffected by other religions and laws this month.
“Sweden does not accommodate Islamism. “Burning religious texts is abhorrent but not illegal,” she tweeted on July 7.
Since the minority administration relies on the Sweden Democrats, parliament’s second-largest party after last year’s elections. Which is anti-immigrant and critical of Islam. It is also extremely unlikely that any potential law change that would make such actions illegal would pass.
“The Sweden Democrats have not considered introducing such a law in Sweden, nor do we intend to support. “Such legislation if it is introduced in parliament,” Sweden Democrat Party Secretary Richard Jomshof told Reuters in an email.
