BAGHDAD — Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden. Some prepared for street demonstrations following midday prayers to show their anger.
In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police permitted a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi of Christian origin — now a self-described atheist — living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Quran, Islam’s holy book, outside of the Iraqi Embassy. Hours before that, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish Embassy and lit a fire to show their anger at his threats to burn the book.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden. But that may not be enough to calm those angered, and another protest in Baghdad is planned for Friday afternoon.
The right to hold public demonstrations is protected by the constitution in Sweden. Blasphemy laws were abandoned in the 1970s. Police generally give permission based on whether they believe a public gathering can be held without major disruptions or safety risks. For Muslims, burning or other abuse of the Quran represents a desecration of their religion’s holy text.
While he showed no signs of backing off from his decision to cut diplomatic relations with Sweden, Sudani in a statement on Friday called on Iraqi protesters to “identify and deal with any disruptive individuals attempting to deviate the protests from their peaceful and constitutionally protected nature” and on security forces “to safeguard both public and private property.”
On Thursday, the state-run Iraqi News Agency reported that some 20 people had been arrested in connection with the storming of the Swedish embassy.
Among those arrested were an Associated Press photographer and two Reuters staff who were covering the protests. The detained journalists were released hours later without charges,…
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