After Swedish police authorised the demonstration, a man tore up and burnt a Quran outside Stockholm's main mosque on Wednesday, a move that would enrage Turkey as Sweden seeks to join NATO. The individual was eventually accused by police with inciting hatred against a national or ethnic group, news agency Reuters reported.
What Happened?
A solo guy took part in the planned Quran burning in Stockholm, and photographs from the event reveal that he was the only one at the demonstration, which coincided with the Muslim festival of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most important in the Islamic calendar.
Swedish police stated in their permit for Wednesday's rally, in which the Quran was desecrated, that while it "may have foreign policy implications," the security risks and repercussions associated with a Quran burning were not of such a kind that the application should be refused.
However, it added that for “security problems to be the basis for a decision to refuse a general assembly, these must have a clear connection to the planned gathering or its immediate surroundings,” CNN reported.
Authorities gave permission for the meeting subject to certain conditions, including a fire ban in Stockholm that has been in effect since June 12 and "applies until further notice."
The guy who burnt the holy book was accused by Swedish police of inciting hatred towards a particular racial or national group. He identified himself as an Iraqi immigrant wanting to outlaw it in a press interview.
Country's Reaction
Following the burning of a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm, hundreds of Iraqis stormed and demonstrated at the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad, Al Jazeera reported.
A group of Muqtada al-Sadr's followers remained inside the complex on Thursday for almost 15 minutes before leaving when security personnel arrived, according to an AFP news agency photographer. Iraqi government representatives have yet to issue a comment about the embassy storming.
The Quran and pictures of al-Sadr were held by several of the demonstrators, who yelled "Yes, yes to the Quran" while some set fire to a rainbow-colored banner that represented the LGBTQ community. The ambassador of Sweden was contacted by Iraq's foreign ministry.
As part of the demonstration, Al-Sadr urged his supporters to burn the LGBTQ flag until the eighth day of the lunar month of Muharram since "it is what irritates them the most," he said in a statement. He also called for the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador and the severing of diplomatic ties with Sweden, Al Jazeera reported.
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, which has 57 members, said it will host a "emergency meeting" to examine the issue.
According to an OIC official, the discussions would most likely take place on Sunday in the Saudi Red Sea town of Jeddah.
Iran also condemned the Quran burning, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian calling it a "insult" to "religious sanctities."
“Calling these behaviours freedom and democracy only encourage terrorism and extremism,” he warned in a tweet.
A series of rallies in Sweden against Islam and for Kurdish rights have enraged Ankara, whose support Sweden requires to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also chastised Sweden for permitting a demonstration, casting more doubt on the Nordic country's chances of joining NATO soon.
“We will eventually teach the arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought,” Erdogan said in televised remarks.
“We will show our reaction in the strongest possible terms, until a determined victory against terrorist organisations and Islamophobia is achieved," he added.
The United States criticised it as well, but emphasised that providing the permission promoted free expression rather than endorsing the conduct, Al Jazeera reported.