Iraq Expels Swedish Ambassador and Withdraws His Envoy Following Plans to Burn Al-Qurans

JAKARTA - Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador on Thursday, in protest at the planned Quran burning in Stockholm which has prompted hundreds of protesters to storm and burn down the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Swedish embassy staff in Baghdad were safe but Iraqi authorities had failed in their responsibility to protect the embassy.

An Iraqi government statement said Baghdad was also withdrawing its Swedish proxy, while Iraq's state news agency reported that Iraq had suspended Swedish companies' work permits in the country.

For anti-Islamic sentiment, one of the participants, an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden who burned the Koran outside the Stockholm mosque in June, had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Koran outside the Iraqi embassy on Thursday.

In that incident, protesters kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Koran, but left the area after an hour without setting it on fire.

However, the Iraqi Government condemned the attack on the embassy, ​​according to a statement from the office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, which declared it a breach of security and promised to protect the diplomatic mission, reported by Reuetrs, July 21.

However, Baghdad has also "informed the Swedish Government... that a repetition of the incident involving the burning of the Koran on Swedish soil will result in a severance of diplomatic ties," the statement said.

The decision to withdraw the power of attorney came as protests in Stockholm had started, but before the protesters left without burning Korans.

Billstrom said the embassy raid was "absolutely unacceptable and the government condemns this attack in the strongest terms".

"The government is in contact with high-level Iraqi representatives to express our disappointment," he added.

Meanwhile, the leader of the powerful Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Islamic countries to follow Iraq in expelling the Swedish ambassador and withdrawing their envoys from Stockholm.

Sweden has witnessed several Quran burnings in recent years. Most of them are carried out by far-right and anti-Muslim activists. Several arsons sparked clashes between police and Muslim protesters in Sweden.

The arson caused outrage in the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Swedish security forces say such actions make the country less secure.

Swedish police themselves rejected several applications earlier this year for a protest that would have included the burning of a Koran citing security concerns, but courts have reversed the decision, saying the measure was protected under Sweden's broad free speech laws.

Free speech laws are protected by the constitution and cannot be easily changed. However, the government said it was considering changes to the law that would allow police to stop it if it endangered Sweden's security.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson himself has previously criticized the arson, saying while it was legal it was inappropriate.