Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for nationwide protests on Friday to 'uphold the sanctity of the Quran' and to protest against the recent burning of the Quran at a demonstration in Sweden's Stockholm.
According to a statement shared by Shehbaz Sharif’s party PML-N, the Pakistan Prime Minister discussed the Sweden incident in a meeting and decided that July 7 would be observed as Yaum-i-Taqaddus Quran (day to uphold the Holy Quran’s sanctity) and a nationwide protest would be taken out against the Quran-burning incident, the Dawn reported.
Sharif also appealed to the entire nation, including all political parties, to participate in the demonstration to “unitedly give a message to the miscreants”, the statement said as quoted by the Pak daily.
According to the statement, he directed his party to “fully participate” in the protests and take out rallies across the country.
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.