Protesters angered by the planned burning of a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday, breaking into the compound and lighting a small fire.
Angry protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad after a planned burning of the Quran at the Swedish capital of Stockholm on Thursday. The protesters broke into the compound of the embassy and lit a small fire. Videos of the incident doing rounds on social media showed demonstrators waving flags at the embassy and signs showing the influential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr ahead of a planned burning of the Islamic holy book Thursday in Stockholm.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that our embassy staff are safe and said that they condemned the attack. Iraq's foreign ministry too, condemned the attack and said an urgent investigation would be conducted.
The protesters were dispersed by the use of water cannons by the riot police. Security forces with electric batons chased the protesters too. The protests were reportedly organised by followers of influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
Who is the Iraqi refugee in Sweden, who burned the Quran?
Iraqi refugee in Sweden Salwan Momika had organised the Quran burning on Thursday. Momika had said that he was protesting Islam. Momika, who identifies himself as an atheist, had said that the Quran should be banned and added that his fight was against the ideals of the religion and not against Muslims. Momika has identified himself as the leader of a Christian militia within the Brigades of Imam Ali, which was founded in 2014.
“We either live with dignity or die courageously. I am the officer in charge of Kata’ib Rouh Allah Issa Ibn Miriam (the Brigade of the Spirit of God Jesus, Son of Mary), which is affiliated with the Imam Ali Brigades, peace be upon him,” he had said, Arab News reported. The armed group that operated under Momika functioned in the outskirts of Mosul in 2017. the group has been under US sanctions since 2018. the group is one of several that have been integrated into the Iraq army since 2016 to fight against the Islamic State group organisation. They operate under the umbrella organisation, the Popular Mobilization Forces.
There is no proof that Momika has been part of any criminal activity. He has, however, been denied citizenship in Sweden. He has a temporary residency permit, which is set to expire in April 2024.
He had been granted permission by the Swedish police in line with the country’s free speech protections. He had burned a copy of the holy book outside Stockholm’s central mosque on June 29, an important Muslim festival, Eid al-Adha. His choosing to burn the Quran on that day certainly grabbed eyeballs across the globe and prompted several reactions. Among them were protests issued by Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco. Iraq also called for Momika to be extradited to face trial in the country.
Momika, who is settled in the municipality of Järna in Södertälje, Stockholm County, is an active critic of the Islamic faith and the Iraqi government. He has also said that he would in the future, burn the flag of Iraq. According to the 37-year-old, the Quran promotes hurtful ideologies. Following the incident in June, Momika reportedly received several death threats. The burning also stalled Sweden's membership to NATO, which is being blocked by Turkey.