Iraq
A Muqtada al-Sadr supporter raises a picture of the Shiite leader, as others demonstrate inside the courtyard of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad after they breached the building briefly over the burning of the Quran by an Iraqi living in Sweden, on June 29, 2023. Photo: Ahmad al-Ruabye / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Supporters of Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are set to hold “million-man” protests on Friday afternoon in reaction to the burning of the Quran in Stockholm, with a figure close to Sadr saying "no need" to repeat the storming of the Swedish embassy.
Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on and burnt pages of the Islamic holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday as Muslims around the world were celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The action has been condemned by many Islamic countries, with the strongest reactions coming out of Momika’s home country Iraq, where dozens of Sadr supporters on Thursday breached the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in protest.
The “million-man” protests were initially set to be held on Friday after sunset, however, the committee supervising demonstrations of the Sadrist movement said that the demonstrations will be brought forward to 5:00pm “due to the large number of protesters.
The committee also published a set of guidelines for those attending demonstrations, stating that the protesters were forbidden from covering their faces, holding up flags of Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam, or burning the Swedish flag, calling only for burning the LGBTQ+ flag.
“The message of spontaneous storming was delivered so no need to repeat it,” said Salih Mohammed al-Iraqi, who introduces himself as Sadr’s “minister” and acts as a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement.
The Sadr supporters’ protest was in response to the cleric’s call a day earlier for “angry” demonstrations in front of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. He has also demanded that Baghdad severs its ties with Sweden and withdraws the Iraqi nationality from Momika.
The protesters spray painted “yes yes to the Quran. At your service, my lord Muqtada” on the gates of the Swedish embassy.
The Iraqi government, judiciary, presidency and foreign ministry have condemned the burning of the Quran, with the judiciary stating that it will launch procedures to request the extradition of Momika.
Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on and burnt pages of the Islamic holy book outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday as Muslims around the world were celebrating the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The action has been condemned by many Islamic countries, with the strongest reactions coming out of Momika’s home country Iraq, where dozens of Sadr supporters on Thursday breached the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in protest.
The “million-man” protests were initially set to be held on Friday after sunset, however, the committee supervising demonstrations of the Sadrist movement said that the demonstrations will be brought forward to 5:00pm “due to the large number of protesters.
The committee also published a set of guidelines for those attending demonstrations, stating that the protesters were forbidden from covering their faces, holding up flags of Sadr’s Saraya al-Salam, or burning the Swedish flag, calling only for burning the LGBTQ+ flag.
“The message of spontaneous storming was delivered so no need to repeat it,” said Salih Mohammed al-Iraqi, who introduces himself as Sadr’s “minister” and acts as a spokesperson for the Sadrist Movement.
The Sadr supporters’ protest was in response to the cleric’s call a day earlier for “angry” demonstrations in front of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. He has also demanded that Baghdad severs its ties with Sweden and withdraws the Iraqi nationality from Momika.
The protesters spray painted “yes yes to the Quran. At your service, my lord Muqtada” on the gates of the Swedish embassy.
The Iraqi government, judiciary, presidency and foreign ministry have condemned the burning of the Quran, with the judiciary stating that it will launch procedures to request the extradition of Momika.
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