Muslim Nations Plan Street Protests After Quran Burning in Sweden

Muslim-majority nations expressed outrage Friday (July 21) at the burning of a copy of the Quran by Iraqi self-professed atheist Salwan Momika in Sweden's capital Stockholm. Some countries would also demonstrate on the streets following midday prayers to show their anger and outrage at the act.

Some of the nations holding protests against Momika as Kuran burning, including Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon.

Momika was known for his stunt where he burned a Quran, Islam's holy book, outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm during the Muslim major holiday of Eid'l Adha, triggering widespread condemnation in the Islamic world. He also kicked and stood on a copy of the Quran Thursday (July 20), hours after demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish embassy and burned it to express their anger against his act of burning the sacred text.

Iraqi PM Al-Sudani Tries to Placate Crowds

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has since ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi delegation from Sweden. However, such actions might not be enough to calm the crowd's anger as another protest in Baghdad would be planned for Friday afternoon.

The right to hold public demonstrations has been protected by the Swedish constitution. In addition, blasphemy laws were abandoned in the 1970s, and police have generally given permission to demonstrators based on what weather they believe a public gathering could be held without major disruptions or safety risks.

However, Muslims believe the burning or other kind of damage done to a copy of the Quran represents a desecration of their religion's holy text.

While being firm in his decision to cut diplomatic ties with Sweden, al-Sudani issued a statement Friday calling on Iraqi protesters to "identify and deal with any destructive individuals attempting to deviate the protests from their peaceful and constitutionally protected nature," and for security forces to "safeguard both public and private property."

Iraq's state-run media already reported 20 protesters being arrested in connection with the storming and burning of the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.

Journalists from the Associated Press and Reuters were also arrested but were released hours later without charges following an order from the prime minister's office.

Protests in Other Parts of the Islamic World

Outside Iraq, other Muslim nations have laid out their plans to protest Momika's stunt in Stockholm.

Demonstrators in Iran planned to express their anger by taking to the streets. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wrote a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres about the matter. He also summoned the Swedish ambassador to Tehran to explain the situation.

"We consider the Swedish government responsible for the outcome of provocation reactions from the world's Muslims," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

Aside from burning and desecrating the Quran, Momika also wiped his feet with a picture of Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as well as the Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

Meanwhile, the Shiite militant group Hezbollah also called for a demonstration Friday afternoon in Lebanon. Khamenei and Iran's theocracy serve as Hezbollah's main sponsors.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah calling on Muslims Thursday night to demand their governments expel Sweden's ambassadors.

"I invite brothers and sisters in all neighborhoods and villages to attend all mosques, carrying their Qurans and sit in them, calling on the state to take a stance toward Sweden," he said in a video statement. "[T]he whole world must see how we embrace our Quran, and the whole world must see how we protect our Quran with our blood."

For Sunni Muslim nations Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both countries have summoned their respective Swedish diplomats to condemn the desecration. In addition, the Turkish foreign ministry also criticized Momika's sacrilegious act.

As for Pakistan, prime minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned events in Stockholm. He also called on the 57-nation Organization of Country Islamic Cooperation to play a "historic role in expressing the sentiments of Muslims and stopping this demonization."

Pakistani Islamists, meanwhile, have been pushing Sharif to cut diplomatic ties with Sweden in order to garner enough support to stay in power beyond an upcoming election in that country. Neighboring Afghanistan's Taliban, on the other hand, has suspended all activities by Swedish organizations in response to the Quran-burning stunt.

A far-right activist group in Turkey also held a similar protest outside the Swedish consulate in Istanbul, which complicated Stockholm's bid to join NATO.