Iraq threatens Sweden with severing ties if Quran burned again
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Iraq threatens Sweden that it would sever ties with it if it approves another Quran burning in the country.
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Smoke rises from the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, July 20, 2023 (AP)
After hundreds of people stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it ablaze in protest over plans for burning a copy of the Quran in Stockholm on Thursday, Iraq warned Sweden that it would sever diplomatic relations if a Quran is burned again.
The Iraqi government swiftly condemned the burning of the Swedish embassy, with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani saying in a statement that the action was a security breach while vowing to provide the needed protection for diplomatic missions.
The statement, however, also revealed that Baghdad "informed the Swedish government [...] that any recurrence of the incident involving the burning of the Holy Quran on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations."
The Swedish authorities approved a protest on Thursday outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm whose organizers planned to burn a copy of the Quran and an Iraqi flag.
Swedish media said an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, Salwan Momika, organized the event in Stockholm on Thursday.
In the wake of the news, Sweden's embassy in Iraq was set on fire by protesters ahead of a planned burning of the Quran in Sweden.
The protest in Baghdad was organized by supporters of Iraqi Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada Al-Sadr, whereby riot police fired water cannons to disperse demonstrators alongside security forces who were armed with electric batons.
"We are mobilized today to denounce the burning of the Quran, which is all about love and faith," adding: "We demand that the Swedish government and the Iraqi government stop this type of initiative," protester Hassan Ahmad told AFP.
Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Quran on June 28 outside Stockholm's main mosque, as Muslims were celebrating their Adha holidays, and was granted a permit from Swedish authorities before carrying out his act.
Later the Iranian Ministry of Security revealed details about the relationship between Momika and Israeli intelligence.
Reliable information indicates that Salwan Momika was born in Iraq in 1986 and started working for the Israeli Mossad in 2019, a statement from the Iranian Ministry of Security said.
After his stay in Sweden, according to Iranian security, Momika continued to serve the Israeli occupation under his new circumstances.
Iranian security confirmed that the act of violating the sanctity of the Holy Quran was meticulously designed and executed to create a dominant media wave and overshadow the horrifying and widespread crimes committed by the Israeli occupation, particularly in the oppressed and resistant Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank.
