Iraqis gather in Baghdad to condemn Koran burning in Sweden

BAGHDAD, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of Iraqis gathered on Friday in the capital Baghdad to protest the burning of the Muslim holy book Koran in Sweden.

The angry protesters, the majority of whom were supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, gathered in the Salhiyah district, where the Swedish embassy is located, just outside the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad.

"Burning the Koran is considered an incitement to violence against those who believe in Islam," said a statement by al-Sadr read by his representative Mahmoud al-Jayashi at the rally.

"Since you criminalize the burning of the gay flag, why don't you consider the burning of the Koran a capital crime?" al-Sadr asked the Swedish authorities in the statement.

Earlier in the day, Iraqi forces tightened their security measures by cordoning off the Swedish embassy and closing all roads leading to the building with concrete barriers.

The measures came after dozens of Iraqi protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday afternoon following a call for an "angry demonstration" by al-Sadr, according to Iraqi media.

Also on Friday, Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said in a statement that Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had requested an urgent high-level session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to discuss measures related to desecrating the Koran.

On Thursday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Swedish ambassador over the Koran burning.

The ministry expressed its strong protest against the Swedish government's permission for such an act and urged the Swedish government to take necessary measures to stop the repeated insults against the Koran, according to a statement from the ministry.

A Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin allegedly tore up a copy of the Koran and burned it in front of a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday during a demonstration approved by Swedish authorities, sparking outrage from Muslims around the world.


https://nord.news/2023/06/30/iraqis-gather-in-baghdad-to-condemn-koran-burning-in-sweden/?feed_id=35832

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