A demonstrator holds a copy of the Koran, Islam's holy book, during a rally after the weekly Friday prayers denouncing the burning of the Koran in Sweden in Iraq's central shrine city of Kufa east of nearby Najaf on July 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
STOCKHOLM/RIYADH/AMMAN/DUBAI/CAIRO/ADEN/MANAMA – Seconded staff at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad have been temporarily withdrawn for security reasons after it was stormed by Iraqis, as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have summoned Swedish diplomats, amid persistent anger among Muslim states about a planned Koran burning in Sweden's capital.
Iraq expeled the Swedish ambassador and recalled its charge d'affaires in Stockholm on Thursday in protest at a planned attack on the Koran that had prompted hundreds of protesters to vandalize the embassy in the Iraqi capital.
A Swedish foreign ministry spokesperson said on Friday that seconded staff and operations had been relocated to Stockholm, but declined to give further comment.
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr raise up his portrait and that of his late father Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr along with copies of the Koran, Islam's holy book, during a rally after the weekly Friday prayers denouncing the burning of the Koran in Sweden in the eastern Sadr City suburb of Baghdad on July 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)
At the scheduled event in Stockholm on Thursday, two protesters kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Koran but did not set it alight.
Demonstrators on Friday took to the streets of Beirut and Baghdad to protest against what they condemned as the desecration of the Koran in Sweden
If the burning had gone ahead, it would have been the second such burning in Sweden in weeks. The Koran, the central religious text of Islam, is believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God.
Demonstrators on Friday took to the streets of Beirut and Baghdad to protest against what they condemned as the desecration of the Koran in Sweden.
In Baghdad, dozens of people on Friday carried copies of the Koran and portraits of the Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr during a demonstration.
ALSO READ: Swedish embassy in Baghdad stormed, set alight
Sadr, whose supporters had called the protest during which the Swedish embassy was stormed on Thursday, told a press conference on Thursday he would not escalate unless a similar event happens again.
People chant slogans as they burn representations of the Swedish flag during a rally denouncing the desecration of the Quran after Friday prayers in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on July 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
In Lebanon crowds gathered outside mosques to demonstrate, following a call by the Shi'ite group Hezbollah for protests after Friday prayers, footage broadcast by Hezbollah's al-Manar television showed.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday said that the storming of the embassy was "completely unacceptable" and later also that the government strongly rejected desecrations of the Koran or any other holy scripture
In Baalbek in Lebanon a Swedish flag was burnt during a protest by hundreds of people, al-Manar footage showed.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Thursday said that the storming of the embassy was "completely unacceptable" and later also that the government strongly rejected desecrations of the Koran or any other holy scripture.
"The Swedish government understands that the despicable acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden may be offensive to Muslims," he said in a statement.
ALSO READ: Quran-burning 'raises concern about Sweden's NATO bid'
Renewed permission for extremists
Also late on Thursday, Saudi Arabia joined a string of Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, in summoning Swedish diplomats.
Stressing Saudi Arabia's complete rejection of all acts that ignite hatred among peoples and religions, the Saudi Foreign Ministry demanded the Swedish authorities take immediate measures to halt such acts that violate the principles of all faiths, international laws, and protocols.
Also late on Thursday, Saudi Arabia joined a string of Middle Eastern countries, including Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, in summoning Swedish diplomats
Jordan's Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the Swedish authorities' renewed permission for extremists to desecrate the Quran is unacceptable.
'Disgraceful move'
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, as well as the authorities in Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen, on Friday strongly condemned the desecration.
"This disgraceful move is considered a huge and unacceptable provocation to the feelings of Muslims everywhere around the world," he said in a statement.
The Arab bloc warned weeks ago that granting official permissions that facilitate such actions will only contribute to the prevailing extremism speech.
A boy sits on the ground as he reads the Quran during a rally after Friday prayers in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon, on July 21, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
"The reluctance of addressing speeches of hate goes beyond freedom of speech," he said, noting mixing the norms of tolerance and freedom will feed violence.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, as well as the authorities in Egypt, Bahrain and Yemen, on Friday strongly condemned the desecration
Egypt voiced its concern over the repeated incidents of blasphemy and Islamophobia, adding their severe repercussions will impact the security, stability, and human rights in societies.
Sweden has seen several Koran burnings in recent years, mostly by far-right and anti-Muslim activists.
READ MORE: Morocco recalls envoy from Sweden over Quran burning
Türkiye issued arrest warrants for Danish politician Rasmus Paludan and nine other suspects for burning a copy of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January, the Turkish justice minister said.