Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme spiritual and political leader, accuses Sweden of supporting criminals who burn the Koran, and says it has prepared for war against the Muslim world. At the same time, a new protest is being held in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, on Saturday evening.
– This has become part of the political game in Iraq, but also in other Muslim countries in the Middle East, says Elisabet Frerot, TV4 Nyheternas foreign commentator.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei goes on a hard attack against Sweden in several Twitter posts.
“Sweden’s government should know that by supporting the criminal who burned the Holy Koran, they have prepared themselves for war against the Muslim world. They have created feelings of hatred and hostility towards them in all Muslim nations and their governments,” he writes.
He also writes that it is “the Swedish government’s obligation to extradite the criminal who burned the Koran to the legal systems of Muslim countries.”
On Twitter, he goes on a hard attack against Sweden’s government.
On Twitter, he goes on a hard attack against Sweden’s government.
New protest during Saturday evening
At 5 p.m., people gathered in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, for a new protest against the Koran burnings. Both Koran burnings in Sweden, but also a book burning in Denmark have received a lot of attention. In that case, Danish police have not confirmed that it was a Koran.
– The protests are once again about the burning of the Koran, that the holy scriptures are desecrated in Sweden but also in Denmark, in any case Iraq considers it as if there has been a burning of the Koran there, says Elisabet Frerot.
“Part of the political game”
It is difficult to say with certainty who took the initiative for the demonstration held on Saturday evening, says Elisabet Frerot.
– In the past, the Shia Muslim militia leader Muqtada al-Sadr has been the one who most strongly called for the protests in Iraq, including the storming of the Swedish embassy.
There is no question that Koran burnings in Sweden upset many in the Muslim world, but it has also become part of a political game, says Frerot.
– This has become part of the political game in Iraq, but also in other Muslim countries in the Middle East.