Countries summon Sweden’s envoys to protest against Quran burning

The condemnations and moves came following a demonstration held on Thursday in Stockholm where protesters kicked and partially damaged a book they said was the Quran.

Sweden’s ambassadors have been summoned in various countries following a second event held to desecrate the Quran, Islam’s holy book, was held in Sweden.

The condemnations and moves came following a demonstration held on Thursday in Stockholm where protesters kicked and partially damaged a book they said was the Quran.

Protesters in Stockholm did not burn the Quran as they had originally threatened to do, but the event still sparked action from several Muslim-majority countries.

Earlier on Thursday, the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad was set on fire.

The event in Stockholm was planned by Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Christian Iraqi refugee in Sweden, who also burned pages of a Quran on June 28.

Here are some of the reactions in response to the latest events:

Iran

Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran on Thursday to “strongly protest against the desecration of the holy Quran”, state media reported.

Demonstrations are planned to be held throughout the country after Friday prayer.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian has also written a letter to the United Nations secretary-general over the incident.

Iraq

Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador to the country on Thursday. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani also recalled his country’s charge d’affaires in Sweden and suspended the working permit of Swedish telecom company Ericsson on Iraqi soil.

Iraq’s foreign ministry also condemned the attack on the Swedish embassy and said it would sever diplomatic ties with Sweden if such an incident was to take place again.

Jordan

The Kingdom of Jordan condemned the Quran’s desecration in Stockholm “as a reckless act that fuels hatred, and a manifestation of Islamophobia that incites violence and insult to religions”, its foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Qatar

Qatar summoned Sweden’s ambassador early on Friday, handing him a protest note over the events in Stockholm.

The Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement that Swedish authorities should take “all the necessary measures to stop these shameful acts”.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia summoned the Swedish charge d’affaires in Riyadh and handed them a note of protest.

Turkey

Turkey condemned it as a “despicable attack” and called on Sweden to take “decisive measures to prevent this hate crime” against Islam.

“We strongly condemn the despicable attack targeting our sacred book,” a statement from the foreign ministry said.

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The United Arab Emirates summoned the Swedish charges d’affaires to strongly condemn the continuation of the Swedish government’s allowance of attacks on copies of the Quran, the state news agency (WAM) reported on Friday.

Hezbollah in Lebanon

The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Muslim countries to follow Iraq’s steps and expel Swedish ambassadors from their countries.

He also called on demonstrations to be held after Friday prayers, saying that “the whole world must see how we embrace our Quran, and the whole world must see how we protect our Quran with our blood”.