Hundreds of protesters made an attempt to storm the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which houses foreign embassies and Iraq’s government headquarters. This was in response to reports of an ultranationalist group burning a copy of the Koran in front of Iraq’s embassy in Copenhagen. Security forces successfully pushed back the protesters and prevented them from reaching the Danish embassy. Just two days prior, people protesting the planned burning of the Islamic holy book in Sweden stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, occupying the diplomatic post for several hours and causing some damage. The embassy staff had already been evacuated.
Shortly after these incidents, Iraq’s prime minister decided to cut diplomatic ties with Sweden as a protest against the desecration of the Koran. An Iraqi asylum-seeker had previously burned a copy of the holy book in Stockholm and threatened to do the same during the recent demonstration but ultimately refrained from setting it on fire. However, he did disrespect the book by kicking and stepping on it, as well as doing the same to an Iraqi flag and photos of influential figures like Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
On Friday afternoon, thousands of people protested peacefully in Iraq and other Muslim-majority countries. Additionally, members of the ultranationalist group Danske Patrioter burned a copy of the Koran and an Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen, livestreaming the act on Facebook. Although the demonstration was small, this incident sparked the protests in Baghdad overnight.
Overall, these incidents highlight the strong reactions and tensions caused by the burning and disrespect of the Islamic holy book, leading to protests and diplomatic consequences.
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