The burning of a Qu’ran outside the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen by a group known as "Danish Patriots" on Monday (24) has sparked severe condemnation from Iraq and multiple other Muslim-majority nations.
The far-right group had also live-streamed a similar act on Facebook on Friday (21), further fuelling tensions.
Protesters in Sweden kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Qu’ran outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday (20), but did not burn it as they had threatened to do, Reuters witnesses said.
These provocative actions have sparked outrage and raised concerns about religious sensitivity and peaceful coexistence among societies.
Muslims worldwide consider the Qu’ran to be the sacred word of God, and any intentional damage or display of disrespect towards it is deeply offensive to their religious beliefs.
The Iraqi foreign ministry warned that such acts enabled the spread of "extremism and hate.”
Nearly 1,000 demonstrators attempted to reach the Danish embassy in Baghdad to protest against the incident on Saturday (22), the BBC reported.
Last week, protesters in Baghdad had set fire to Sweden's embassy following plans for a Qu’ran burning in Stockholm.
Thousands of protesters rallied in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, expressing their anger at both Denmark and Sweden for allowing such acts.
Turkey too strongly condemned the incident, describing it as a "despicable attack" on the Qu’ran.
The Algerian foreign ministry summoned the Danish ambassador and Swedish chargé d'affaires to express condemnation of the actions.
In response to the events, local media in Qatar reported that Souq Al Baladi, the country's largest market, had removed Swedish products as a form of protest.
In a tweet, Denmark's foreign ministry said, "Denmark condemns today's burning of the Qu’ran carried out by very few individuals.
"These provocative and shameful acts do not represent the views of the Danish government. Appeal to all to deescalate - violence must never be the response."
Danish foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen condemned it as an act of "stupidity" by a few individuals, telling national broadcaster DR, "It is a disgraceful act to insult the religion of others."
"This applies to the burning of Qu’rans and other religious symbols. It has no other purpose than to provoke and create division," he said.
He noted however that burning religious books was not a crime in Denmark.
Iran also joined in the protest, voicing its opposition to the earlier desecrations.
The country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that people who desecrate the Qu’ran should face the "most severe punishment" and Sweden has "gone into battle-array for war on the Muslim world" by supporting those responsible.
Swedish officials have deplored the acts but said they cannot prevent them.
Iran's state media reported that Khamenei had demanded Sweden hand over those responsible for prosecution in Islamic countries.
Iran, which has delayed the posting of a new ambassador to Sweden, also said it was not accepting a new Swedish envoy over the attacks on the Qu’ran.
Speaking about the Swedish government, Khamenei later tweeted, "They have created feelings of hatred & animosity toward them in all the Muslim nations & many of their governments," he said.
Meanwhile, Iran's foreign ministry said it had summoned the Danish ambassador on Friday to protest.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said the Danish government was responsible for preventing insults to Muslim symbols, as well as punishing offenders. Muslims awaited practical action, he added in a statement on state media.
Thursday's anti-Islam demonstration in Stockholm has prompted Middle Eastern states including Saudi Arabia and Iran, respectively the region's leading Sunni Arab and Shi'ite powers, to summon Swedish diplomats in protest.
The Iraqi presidency, meanwhile, called in a statement for international organizations and Western governments "to stop incitement and hate practices, whatever their pretexts".
(With inputs from Reuters)
Mythili Prakash
Prakash in She’s Auspicious
The cover of his book