Iraq calls on Sweden to prevent attacks on Islam and Quran
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad. Photo: Shafaq News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, announced on Wednesday that Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, during a phone call with his Swedish counterpart, stressed the need to prevent the recurrence of acts offensive to Islam and the Holy Quran, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) reported.
Al-Sahaf elaborated that Hussein spoke with the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Tobias Billstrom, to discuss the recent threats of the Holy Quran burner to repeat his act.
Hussein stressed the need to have an international stance stemming from international laws and norms, which prevent insulting and attacking religions, holy books, and beliefs because they are not part of freedoms.
The Swedish Foreign Minister expressed his government’s condemnation of this act, emphasizing the Swedish government’s rejection of such anti-Islam acts.
Salwan Momika, a refugee of Iraqi origin in Sweden, had burned a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque.
On June 28, Momika, 37, tore up and burned several pages of a copy of the Holy Book outside Stockholm’s central mosque, after the Swedish police granted him permission to do so according to a judicial decision.
The incident sparked a wave of anger in the Arab and Islamic regions.
Following the incident, Iraq called on the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) to arrest the Quran burner in Sweden and extradite him to Baghdad.