Iraqi protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad

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Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador in opposition to a protest scheduled to take place in Stockholm on Thursday. Demonstrators received permission from local police to burn a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy. Hundreds of people stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad early Thursday morning to protest the planned burning. No embassy staff were injured. Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said Iraqi authorities failed to protect the compound in accordance with an international agreement. The protest in Stockholm went forward, but participants stopped short of burning a copy of Islam’s primary text.

Have there been other protests like this? An Iraqi man in June burned a copy of the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Several Muslim-majority countries condemned the act, including NATO member Turkey, which had resisted accepting Sweden into the alliance. Swedish authorities said criticizing religion is part of free speech, even if it is offensive to those who practice the religion.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions about people coming to Christ in the Middle East.

Lauren Canterberry

Lauren Canterberry is a reporter for WORLD. She graduated from the World Journalism Institute and the University of Georgia with a degree in journalism, both in 2017. She worked as a local reporter in Texas and now lives in Georgia with her husband.