Protestors incensed by the intention to burn a copy of the Quran, launched a forceful demonstration at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad. The demonstrators breached the embassy compound and ignited a small fire.
As reported by the Associated Press, videos shared online captured the protesters brandishing flags and placards depicting Muqtada al-Sadr, a prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric and political figure, in response to the planned burning of the Islamic holy book scheduled to take place in Stockholm.
The videos depicted a group of men scaling the fence surrounding the complex, and the sound of their attempts to force open a front door. Additionally, one of the videos displayed a small fire being ignited. Further footage showed men, some of them shirtless due to the summer heat, inside what appeared to be a room within the embassy premises, with an audible alarm sounding in the background.
Others later performed predawn prayers outside of the embassy.
As the morning arrived, police and other security personnel assembled at the embassy, while faint plumes of smoke continued to rise. Firefighters attempted to extinguish the flames using a fire truck's ladder. A few protesters remained at the scene, holding placards displaying al-Sadr's image, seemingly untouched by the police.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “our embassy staff are in safety,” without elaborating.
“We condemn all attacks on diplomats and staff from international organizations,” the ministry said. “Attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff.”
Iraq's Foreign Ministry released a statement denouncing the attack at the Swedish Embassy, but it did not provide any explanation regarding how the breach was allowed to occur or identify the individuals responsible for carrying out the assault.
“The Iraqi government has instructed the competent security authorities to conduct an urgent investigation and take the necessary security measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law,” the Foreign Ministry said.
According to the Swedish news agency TT, the Swedish police approved an application for a demonstration scheduled to take place on Thursday outside the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm. The application indicated that two demonstrators intended to burn a Quran and the Iraqi flag during the protest.
Among Muslims, the burning of the Quran is considered a deeply offensive act and a sacrilegious violation of their religion's sacred text. Previous incidents of Quran burnings have triggered widespread protests across the Muslim world, with some demonstrations escalating into violence. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has responded to the recent Quran burning by suspending all activities of Swedish organizations within the country, AP reported.
Last month, an Iraqi Christian immigrant ignited a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm during the significant Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, leading to widespread condemnation from the Islamic community. Earlier this year, a far-right activist staged a similar protest outside Turkey's Embassy, which complicated Sweden's attempts to gain NATO membership and convince Turkey to support their bid.
In June, supporters of al-Sadr staged a protest during daylight hours and stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in response to the Quran burning incident. On another day, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Iraq to voice their discontent. Both during the previous protest and on the early hours of Thursday, the demonstrators demanded that Iraqi authorities expel Sweden's ambassador to Iraq.
Al-Sadr, the versatile son of a renowned Shiite cleric who was assassinated in a 1999 attack, allegedly orchestrated by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, swiftly mobilized the marginalized Shiite population against the American occupation following the 2003 US-led invasion.
Saddam loyalists and Shiite extremists alike would soon fight an insurgency against the American forces. Al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army militia fought American forces throughout much of 2004 in Baghdad and other cities. Al-Sadr’s forces are believed to have later taken part in the sectarian killings between Shiites and Sunnis that plagued Iraq for several years after the bombing of one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, AP reported.
Since that time much has changed.
Al-Sadr's supporters actively participated in Iraqi military offensives against the Islamic State group in cities like Tikrit. He has also organized demonstrations to protest government corruption, even going as far as breaching the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which houses government offices and numerous foreign embassies.
Last August, Al-Sadr declared his intention to step away from politics, prompted by a nearly yearlong impasse in forming a new Cabinet. Although his party secured the most seats in the October 2021 parliamentary elections, it fell short of obtaining a majority government.
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