ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq condemned Sweden on Thursday for allowing an Iraqi refugee to burn a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Salwan Momika, 37, fled Iraq to Sweden several years ago. He said he would burn the Quran to express his opinion about the Islamic holy book.
Surrounded by a heavy police presence as critics shouted in Arabic, Momika stomped on the Quran and placed bacon – the consumption of which is forbidden in Islam - between the pages, before lighting a few pages on fire and kicking it around like a football while raising the Swedish flag.
The Iraqi government strongly denounced “Swedish authorities for allowing an extremist to burn a copy of the holy Quran in a manner that constitutes a grave insult to religious sanctities,” according to a statement from the foreign ministry in Baghdad.
“These events inflame the feelings of Muslims around the world and are not only racist but also promote violence and hatred,” it added.
Momika’s protest garnered heavy criticism on social media, with Muslims calling the burning a deliberate act of provocation given that it coincided with the first day of Eid al-Adha.
Iran later on Thursday joined Iraq in the condemnation, calling it “provocative and unacceptable” and saying the Islamic republic and Muslims worldwide “do not tolerate such insults.”
“Creating a platform for the repetition of sacrilege against celestial sanctities, especially during the sacred days of the Islamic world and the gathering of millions of Muslims at the world congress of Hajj, is a provocative, unacceptable act,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.
By providing permission for the Quran burning to be carried out, Sweden is expected to face further opposition from Turkey in its bid to join NATO.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the “despicable” act on Twitter.
“It is unacceptable to allow these actions under the pretext of freedom of expression,” he said
In January, a copy of the Quran was burned outside Ankara’s embassy in Stockholm by Rasmus Paludan, a far-right Swedish-Danish activist and politician, prompting Turkey to cancel a rare visit of Sweden’s defense chief to Ankara.
A series of demonstrations, also involving the burning of the Muslim book or for Kurdish rights, have sparked condemnation from Ankara whose support Sweden needs to join the military alliance.
