Displaying items by tag: Quran burning

Swedish police approved of burning a Bible outside Stockholm’s Israeli embassy. The decision follows similar Quran burnings which sparked outrage in the Islamic world. The demonstration was scheduled for Shabbat, when Israel's embassy is closed. A recent Swedish poll found most citizens support banning public burning of religious texts. Israel’s chief rabbi asked King Gustaf to utilise his influence so that the Bible burning does not take place, sending the message that Sweden stands against religious intolerance.  Meanwhile on 20 July another Quran was desecrated in Sweden; the Iraqi government informed the Swedish government through diplomatic channels that any recurrence of burning of the Holy Quran on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations. See also world article 6, and

On 20 July Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador only hours after protesters angered by the burning of the Quran in Sweden stormed the Swedish embassy in central Baghdad, scaling the walls of the compound and setting it on fire. Iraq’s prime minister also recalled his country’s chargé d’affaires in Sweden and suspended the working permit of Swedish telecom company Ericsson on Iraqi soil. The burning of the embassy was called by supporters of the influential Iraqi Shia religious and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr, to protest against the second planned burning of a Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm that day. However, although protesters in Sweden kicked and partially damaged the Quran, they did not burn it as promised. In Baghdad, all the Swedish embassy staff are safe. Sweden’s foreign ministry condemned the attack and highlighted the need for Iraqi authorities to protect diplomatic missions. See also Europe article 2, ‘Sweden: religious intolerance’.