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Iraq seeks extradition of immigrant who burned Quran in Sweden — ministry

The burning of the Quran took place during a police-sanctioned demonstration at Medborgarplatsen Square in Stockholm on Wednesday

CAIRO, June 30. /TASS/. The authorities of Iraq demand that the government of Sweden extradite an Iraqi immigrant who publicly burned Quran in Sweden, Iraqi Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed al-Sahhaf said.

"A man who desecrated the Holy Quran is the citizen of Iraq. That is why we demand that the Swedish government extradite him to Iraq to face trial in accordance with the Iraqi law," the INA news agency quoted him as saying.

The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square on Wednesday. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set it on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays. In addition, more than 1.8 million Muslims on Wednesday completed the hajj, or pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Swedish Ambassador to Iraq Jessica Svardstrom was summoned to the Iraqi foreign ministry on Thursday. The ministry expressed its "resolute protest" over the incident, stressing that "legal justifications and freedom of speech considerations cannot justify desecration of holy objects.".

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