Thousands Rally in Iraq to Protest Quran Burning Incident in Sweden.
- Demonstrators demand action and the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador.
BASRA, Iraq – Thousands of followers of influential Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr took to the streets in major cities across Iraq on Friday to condemn the burning of a Quran during a recent protest in Sweden.
Demonstrators, including supporters of al-Sadr, expressed their outrage by burning Swedish flags and rainbow LGBTQ+ pride flags while chanting slogans in support of Islam.
In Baghdad and the southern city of Basra, the rallies drew significant crowds, with followers of al-Sadr expressing their discontent and demanding action. The protests also saw calls for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq.
During the Friday prayers in Sadr City, a Baghdad suburb, Sayyid Sattar Batat, the preacher, urged Iraqi authorities to sever diplomatic ties and potentially expel the Swedish ambassador if necessary.
The protests in Iraq were sparked by a Quran-burning incident in Stockholm, Sweden, earlier in the week. According to reports, a man claiming to be an Iraqi refugee set fire to the Quran outside a mosque in central Stockholm. It was revealed that the individual was an Iraqi Christian who had previously served in a Christian unit of the Popular Mobilization Forces. This predominantly Shiite militia group integrated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016.
While Swedish police authorized the protest, citing freedom of speech, the act received widespread condemnation across the Muslim world, mainly due to its occurrence during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan even suggested that the incident might hinder Sweden’s NATO membership aspirations.
Iraqi officials have called on Sweden to extradite the individual responsible for the Quran burning, requesting his prosecution in Iraq.
The protests in Iraq, organized by followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, highlight the deep-rooted sentiments and religious sensitivities surrounding such incidents, reflecting the ongoing tension and divisions in the region.
Source | AP