What happened in Sweden hurt two billion Muslims: Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed al-Sahhaf on Friday told Kurdistan 24 that the Swedish ambassador to Baghdad has been summoned and asked to take legal action against the individual who burnt the Quran in Stockholm.  

"Our request is for the suspect to be extradited to Iraq for trial in accordance with Iraqi laws and regulations," al-Sahaf said.

The spokesman said the foreign ministries of Arab countries, international organizations, and the Arab League have called for the extradition of the accused to Iraq.  

"The burning of the Holy Quran threatens national security," he reiterated.

Al-Sahhaf stated that what happened in Sweden is a form of terrorism and it affects Muslims all over the world.

“What happened in Sweden hurts two billion Muslims,” the spokesperson emphasized.

Salwan Momika, 37, a member of the Iraqi diaspora community in Sweden, set the Quran’s pages ablaze on Wednesday. This was as Sunni Muslims around the world marked the first day of the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday.

The act has drawn severe condemnation from Muslims in Iraq and in other parts of the world.

In a previous statement on Thursday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry slammed the Swedish authorities for permitting the man to burn the holy book, describing the act as a "dangerous provocation."

Furthermore, Iraq’s firebrand Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday called to declare the Swedish Ambassador to Iraq a persona non grata and sever ties with Sweden, which he described as “hostile to Islam” and a supporter of “immorality”, according to a statement he shared on his Twitter account.

Fayaq Zedan, the head of Iraq’s Judicial Council, directed the public prosecutor to take the necessary legal measures to “extradite” the Iraqi national from the Nordic country.