The Swedish embassy in Baghdad in Iraq has once again been stormed. The demonstrators are protesting the repeated Koran burnings carried out in Sweden – the latest one planned for Thursday.
Here we summarize what has happened.
Easter 2022
Rasmus Paludan, party leader of the Danish far-right party Stram kurs, visits several Swedish cities to burn Korans in public. Something that is followed by violent riots in affected cities with vandalism and violence, mainly directed at the police.
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NATO Headquarters Brussels 18 May 2022
Sweden and Finland submit applications to become members of NATO. Turkey, Finland and Sweden sign an agreement in which the latter two countries take on commitments, including to prevent terrorism, in order for Turkey to approve their entry into NATO.
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Stockholm City Hall January 2023
A doll representing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hung by the feet outside Stockholm City Hall. Erdogan’s spokesperson, Fahrettin Altun, writes on Twitter that “this is proof that the Swedish authorities have not taken the necessary steps against terrorism”.
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Turkish Embassy January 2023
At the end of January, Rasmus Paludan burns a Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Protests break out in Turkey and several other countries. Sweden’s embassy in the country is temporarily closed during the protests.
During the spring, permission is denied for several additional Koran burnings. However, according to the legal review that was made afterwards, the police did not have the right to refuse the permits.
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Stockholm mosque June
A private person sets fire to a Koran outside the mosque at Medborgarplatsen in Stockholm. This time, protests break out in Baghdad, among other places, where hundreds of demonstrators gather outside the Swedish embassy and also enter the building.
Morocco recalls its ambassador to Sweden in protest and Iran does not intend to send its new ambassador, Hojatullah Faghani, to Sweden. Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and Iraq summon Sweden’s ambassadors in their respective countries due to the Koran burning.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif says he is “disgusted and horrified”, while the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls the burning “a blatant attack on human rights, tolerant values, acceptance of other people, democracy and peaceful coexistence”.
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Beginning of July
The world’s reactions to the Koran burnings continue. Sweden’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia is summoned to the country’s foreign ministry and Pope Francis condemns the Koran burning.
Muslim cooperation body the Islamic Conference Organization (IKO), which is based in Saudi Arabia and has 57 member countries, is calling for collective action to stop future Koran burnings.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry writes in a statement that it “strongly condemns these actions” and calls them an “expression of racism, xenophobia”. The ministry’s statement is criticized by freedom of expression expert Nils Funcke, who says that “the Foreign Ministry should not step in as a kind of judicial power”.
The UN Human Rights Council calls for an emergency meeting due to the Koran burnings.
July 7
At the call of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, thousands of Pakistanis are taking to the streets in a nationwide protest against the highly publicized Koran burnings.
July 10
An agreement is reached between Sweden and Turkey, which announces that they will approve Sweden’s NATO application.
July 12
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) states that burning a Koran is offensive and a clear act of provocation. When freedom of expression is weighed against discrimination, the countries of the world are asked to review their laws.
The UN Human Rights Council is regularly criticized for becoming a political tool for the member states that are elected.
July 15
A person has applied for permission to burn a Torah and a Bible outside the Israeli embassy. Israel’s ambassador to Sweden has said he is shocked and horrified by further book burnings. The man later chose not to carry out the burning of the scriptures.
July 19-20
On the night of July 20, protesters storm the Swedish embassy in Iraq. The building is set on fire and the Swedish personnel must be put to safety. The embassy is said to have sustained extensive damage.
The protests broke out after it was announced that a person had been given permission to burn a Koran during a demonstration outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. The demonstration is carried out, but the Koran burning itself becomes a minor story and is hardly noticed by those present. However, they are met by a cry and counter-demonstrators.
At the same time as the demonstration is being carried out, the announcement comes that Iraq is breaking all diplomatic contacts with Sweden, which the country’s prime minister threatened earlier in the day.
The Iraqi government also prohibits business with Swedish companies in the country.