Iraqi riot police attempt to disperse supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr gathered for a protest outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20. (Credit: Ahmed el-Rubaye/AFP)
Since Thursday, tension between Sweden and Iraq has escalated. Iraq expelled its Swedish ambassador and recalled its own ambassador from the Nordic country.
This reaction came after Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Christian Iraqi refugee in Sweden, threatened on Wednesday to set a Quran on fire again in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
In response to Momika’s provocation, dozens of supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a powerful Shiite Iraqi cleric and politician, set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday.
Things didn’t end there. In recent hours, many countries in the Middle East have threatened to sever diplomatic ties with Sweden.
Escalating reactions
Turkey was one the first countries in the region to react. On Thursday, it condemned what it deemed the “despicable desecration” of the Quran.
In a statement issued after Momika stomped on a copy of the Quran in Stockholm, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it expects Sweden“ to take dissuasive measures to prevent hate crimes against Islam.”
Ten days ago, Ankara agreed to back Sweden’s bid to join NATO, after a stalemate that lasted over a year.
On Friday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed his dismay, and blamed the Swedish government for the desecration.
“Continuing to desecrate the holy sites of Islam and spreading hatred in this way is considered a perfect example of organized violence and hostile action against the world’s two billion Muslim population,” said Amirabdollahian.
In addition to this statement, the Swedish ambassador to Tehran was summoned.
The Minister also sent a letter to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, calling on the UN to condemn Momika’s actions. Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran in the afternoon, burning Swedish flags and portraits of the country’s prime minister.
In Lebanon, the Foreign Affairs Ministry denounced the “attack on the Quran” on Friday, while criticizing the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.
Hezbollah’s Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah called for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador to Lebanon on Thursday evening, stating that it was the “minimum required.”
In response to Nasrallah’s call, a demonstration was held Friday afternoon in Beirut’s southern suburbs, while the Lebanese army was deployed in the vicinity of the Swedish embassy in Downtown Beirut.
Regional consensus
In the Gulf, Qatar summoned the Swedish ambassador to Doha. Statements released by the Saudi Foreign Affairs Ministry suggest that the Kingdom will organize an emergency session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
This initiative was suggested by Iraq “to discuss the repercussions of Islamophobia and the burning of the Quran,” and supported by Saudi Arabia, which has publicly agreed to host the emergency session and “take the necessary collective measures.”
Shortly before, Riyadh described the incident as “an act that is a systematic provocation of the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world.”
At the same time, the Saudi parliament called for a worldwide political and economic boycott of Sweden, while the Foreign Affairs Ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador to the Kingdom.
On social media, Momika’s Facebook live video stirred up reactions from Internet users offended by his actions.
One Twitter user said, “I can only feel disgust and pity for this disturbed and distorted abuse of the holy Quran, Muslims and Iraqis.”
Others criticized countries that had not taken a tougher stance on Sweden. “States that have not condemned Salwan Momika’s hideous act have shown that they are pursuing their own personal interests and do not care about the religion or beliefs of others,” said another internet user.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour. Translation by Joelle El Khoury.