In a tense and turbulent turn of events, protesters in Baghdad set fire to Sweden’s embassy early Thursday in response to a planned Quran burning and flag desecration in Stockholm. The Swedish authorities had controversially approved an assembly outside the Iraqi embassy in their capital, where organizers intended to burn a copy of the Quran and an Iraqi flag later that day. The demonstrations were triggered by Iraqi outrage over events unfolding in Sweden, with the protest in Baghdad being organized by fervent supporters of the influential religious leader and political dissident, Moqtada Sadr.
Iraqi riot police were forced to intervene, firing water cannons and using electric batons to disperse the agitated demonstrators from the embassy premises. Protesters vehemently expressed their opposition to the Quran burning, which they viewed as an affront to their faith and a manifestation of hatred. Chanting Moqtada’s name, some protesters brandished copies of the Quran, while others held up portraits of Mohamed al-Sadr, an important religious cleric and Moqtada’s father.
A young demonstrator revealed that they had acted swiftly, breaking into the Swedish embassy at dawn and igniting the fire in a display of their anger and dissent. Swedish officials confirmed that their embassy staff in Baghdad were safe following the incident. Nevertheless, the Swedish foreign ministry emphasized that the Iraqi authorities were responsible for safeguarding diplomatic missions and their personnel and condemned the attack as a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. In the midst of the chaos, several trucks arrived at the embassy to extinguish the flames, as skirmishes between Iraqi security forces and protesters escalated.
The controversy originated from a previous incident in Stockholm when Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, burned a few pages of the Quran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque during the celebration of Eid al-Adha. This act incited a fervent response from Moqtada Sadr’s supporters, who subsequently stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad the following day. The Iraqi government has condemned the embassy torching and called for an urgent investigation to identify those responsible for the violent act.
Moqtada’s ability to mobilize large crowds has been evident in the past, with his supporters having previously invaded Baghdad’s parliament building and staged a prolonged sit-in during a political dispute over the appointment of a prime minister in the summer of 2022. As tensions continue to simmer, the situation calls for a delicate and cautious approach to prevent further escalation between Sweden and Iraq, as well as among communities with diverse religious backgrounds both within and beyond their borders.