Iraq to Sweden: Diplomatic ties will be cut if Qur’an is desecrated again
The Iraqi government on Thursday warned Sweden that Baghdad will cut diplomatic ties if the holy Qur’an is desecrated again on Swedish soil.
The warning was issued in a statement released by the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani following an emergency meeting with top officials.
Baghdad "informed the Swedish government ... that any recurrence of the incident involving the burning of the Holy Qur’an on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations", the statement said.
It called such incidents provocative that run counter to international conventions on respect for religions. The incidents are a threat to peace and cause violence and hatred, the statement added.
The meeting was held after the Swedish government granted permission for another act of desecration against Qur’an later on Thursday, a move that ignited anger among Iraqis who set alight the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad earlier in the day in protest at the planned insult.
The statement by Al Sudani’s office condemned the burning of the Swedish Embassy, labeling it as a security breach.
The government promised to protect diplomatic missions. It said that those arrested in connection with the burning as well as the security forces who have failed to carry out their duties will be investigated to face justice.
On June 28, an Iraqi man living in Sweden burned a copy of the holy Qur’an in front of Stockholm's largest mosque during Eid al-Adha. That caused uproar among Muslims around the world.