DUBAI, July 20. /TASS/. The Iraqi government has officially informed Sweden that it will sever diplomatic relations with the kingdom if any Quran-burning protests occur again in Stockholm, the press service of the country’s prime minister said on Thursday.
"The Iraqi government confirms that it has informed the Swedish government through diplomatic channels of its intention to sever diplomatic relations with Sweden in case of a repeat of the incident of burning the Quran on its territory, fully authorized by them under the pretext of freedom of expression," the statement said.
The press service added that Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani held an emergency meeting after the Swedish authorities authorized a new protest involving the burning of the Muslim holy book and the subsequent attack on Sweden's embassy in Baghdad. "The meeting condemned the burning of the Quran at the [Swedish] embassy and considered it a security breach that should be resolved immediately and those responsible for the security of the [diplomatic mission] be held accountable," the statement said.
Hundreds of protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on Thursday night and set fire to the diplomatic building after Stockholm police authorized a new Quran-burning rally in front of the Arab republic's embassy, the Al Arabiya TV channel reported earlier. Security forces in Baghdad used water cannons to disperse the protesters. The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemned the protesters' actions. The Swedish embassy said it would suspend work until further notice.
The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square on June 28. 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. This act triggered a strong negative reaction from the population and authorities of Islamic countries, especially Arab countries. In this regard, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia deeply respects the Quran and religious beliefs of Muslims, and noted that disrespect for this holy book is a crime in the Russian Federation.