An anti-Muslim group desecrated the Quran in Denmark's capital Copenhagen on Friday, as Muslims expressed outrage about a similar incident in Sweden and called on authorities to prevent such hateful acts from repeating.
The ultranationalist group called "Danske Patrioter" burned the holy book in front of Iraq's Embassy in Copenhagen.
They also carried a banner with insulting slogans against Islam, before stamping on the Iraqi flag and a copy of the Quran under police protection, as seen in the videos they shared on social media.
The group said they did this to "protest" the attack against Sweden's Embassy in Baghdad.
Early Thursday morning, a crowd of Iraqis stormed Sweden's Embassy in Baghdad and set a small part of it ablaze in protest against the burning of a copy of the Quran, Islam's holy book, by Salwan Momika, an Iraq-born refugee who now lives in Sweden.
Thousands of Muslims take to streets expressing outrage over Quran desecration
Thousands of people took to the streets in several Muslim-majority countries Friday to express their outrage at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden.
The protests in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran that followed weekly prayers were controlled and peaceful, in contrast to scenes in Baghdad on Thursday, when demonstrators occupied the Swedish Embassy compound for several hours and set a small fire.
The embassy staff had been evacuated before the storming, and the Swedish news agency TT reported that they were relocated to Stockholm for security reasons.
For Muslims, any desecration of the Quran, their holy text, is abhorrent.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani had called on protesters and security forces to ensure that the demonstrations remained peaceful.
In the southern suburbs of Beirut, thousands more gathered at a protest, brandishing copies of the holy book and chanting "with our blood, we protect the Quran." Some burned Swedish flags.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a video address Thursday night called on Muslims to demand their governments expel Sweden’s ambassadors. Iraq cut diplomatic ties with Sweden earlier that day.
"I invite brothers and sisters in all neighborhoods and villages to attend all mosques, carrying their Qurans and sit in them, calling on the state to take a stance toward Sweden," Nasrallah said in the address, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.
In Iran, thousands marched in Tehran and other cities across the country, demonstrations that were aired on state television. In the capital, protesters gathered in the city center, shouting: "Death to the Americanized Sweden! Death to Israel! Death to enemies of the supreme leader!"
"The Quran talks to humans all the time, and its voice will never be stopped," protester Fatemeh Jafari said. "Until the end of the world, the Quran will stay there and will be usable. They can never destroy the Quran! Even if they burn it, we will stand by it!"
The demonstrations come after Swedish police permitted a "protest" Thursday in which an Iraqi of Christian origin living in Stockholm – now a self-described atheist – threatened to burn a copy of the Quran. In the end, the man kicked and stood on the holy book outside of the Iraqi Embassy. He gave similar treatment to an Iraqi flag and to photos of Sadr and of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The right to hold public demonstrations and blasphemy laws were abandoned in the 1970s. Police generally give permission based on whether they believe a public gathering can be held without major disruptions or safety risks.
Sudani, the Iraqi prime minister, ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden.
Leaders in several Muslim-majority countries condemned the desecration of the Quran and summoned diplomats from Sweden to express their outrage. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian wrote a letter to the United Nations secretary-general, while Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to play a "historic role in expressing the sentiments of Muslims and stopping this demonization."
Türkiye also strongly condemned the desecration of the Quran and also called on Swedish authorities to take concrete action to prevent such hate crimes from repeating.
Thursday's Quran desecration was the second to involve the Iraqi man in Sweden, identified as Salwan Momika. Last month, a man identified by local media and on his social media as Momika burned a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque during the major Muslim holiday of Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha, triggering widespread condemnation in the Islamic world.
A similar protest by a far-right extremist was held in Stockholm earlier this year, complicating Sweden’s efforts to persuade Türkiye to let it join NATO.
Worshippers gathering for Friday prayers at the Stockholm mosque outside which last month's Quran-burning took place expressed frustration that Swedish authorities allowed such actions. Imam Mahmoud Khalfi told the Associated Press (AP) the situation made him feel "powerless."
"You expect politicians and decision-makers and police to show understanding ... and try to find a solution. But it hasn’t happened, unfortunately," he said.
He noted that other countries, such as neighboring Finland, had found a way to combine freedom of speech with respect for religion. Unlike Sweden, Finland still has blasphemy laws.
"To let these extremists and criminals abuse the law and jeopardize peace in society and national security and Sweden’s reputation in the world, that is unsustainable," he said. "We cannot understand why these lunatics are allowed to run wild."
At the same time, he added, "We are against all violent reactions and we have called on our members, to Muslims in Sweden, to react and act ... in a peaceful way."
Limited political support in Sweden to ban Quran burnings
There is limited political will in Sweden to ban Quran burnings that have upset large parts of the Muslim world and it would be complicated to do even if there were backing for such a move, experts and politicians said on Friday.
Sweden's laws, current politics and social traditions mean such incidents are unlikely to be halted any time soon.
Swedish courts have ruled that police cannot stop the desecration of holy scriptures. While the two latest Quran burnings could be tested in court for inciting hate, it is widely believed the attacks are protected by the Constitution's far-reaching "freedom of speech" laws.
To change the Constitution is a lengthy process that requires a vote in parliament, then a general election, and then another vote in parliament.
Even so, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson's government said last week it would examine if there was reason to change the Public Order Act to make it possible for police to stop Quran burnings, amid concerns over national security.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch of the Christian Democrats said defiantly earlier this month that Sweden alone determined its legislation and would not be influenced by other countries' faiths or laws.
She showed support for the legality of the desecration on July 7 after a Quran burning outside a Stockholm mosque tweeting that "Sweden does not bend its back" and the burning of scriptures is "reprehensible" but is still legal.
Any potential law change that would make such acts illegal is also highly unlikely to pass because the minority government is dependent on the support of the Sweden Democrats, the second biggest party in parliament after last year's elections, which is both anti-immigrant and anti-Islam.
"The Sweden Democrats have not considered introducing any such law in Sweden, nor do we intend to support any such legislation if put forward in parliament," Sweden Democrat Party Secretary Richard Jomshof told Reuters in an emailed statement.
Quran burnings are permitted in Sweden, Denmark and Norway but not in neighboring Finland where the desecration of holy scriptures in public is illegal. Sweden had a similar law but removed it in the 1970s.
Sweden has laws banning hate speech against ethnic, national and religious groups and people on grounds of sexual orientation. However, burning holy scriptures has thus far not qualified as hate speech in their laws but has been seen as "acceptable criticism."
A 2022 Gallup Poll found that Sweden was the country in the world with the highest percentage of citizens stating they do not believe in God. Sweden abolished laws that made it punishable to criticize or mock religion and the royal family in the 1970s.