Qatar, Saudi Arabia summon Sweden's envoys to protest Quran desecration

Qatar has summoned Sweden's ambassador to hand him a protest note over the desecration of the Quran in Stockholm, the Gulf country's Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement early on Friday, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said it would demand Swedish authorities take "all the necessary measures to stop these shameful acts."

Saudi Arabia also summoned the Swedish charge d'affaires in Riyadh and handed a note of protest over the desecration of the Quran, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Riyadh denounced "repeated and irresponsible actions of the Swedish authorities" who often authorise extremists to burn and desecrate copies of the holy Quran.

The kingdom also condemned a planned burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, in Stockholm, the statement added.

It comes after Iraqi protesters torched the Swedish embassy and Baghdad ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d'affaires from Sweden after an extremist desecrated the Quran in Stockholm.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the despicable attack targeting our holy book, the Quran, in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm today," a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement read.

Iran's Foreign Ministry also summoned Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran to "strongly protest against the desecration of the holy Quran," state media reported.

The Iraqi announcement came after two extremists gathered on a lawn about 100 metres from the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.

One of them, identified by Swedish media as Salwan Momika, an Iraqi extremist Christian living in Sweden, stepped on and kicked a copy of the Quran, but didn't set it on fire.

Momika also stepped on and kicked an Iraqi flag.

Momika had burned the holy Quran under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque on June 28, on the first day of Eid al Adha.

Baghdad had also "informed the Swedish government ... that any recurrence of the incident involving the burning of the Holy Koran on Swedish soil would necessitate severing diplomatic relations."

Meanwhile, the leader of Lebanese group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, called on Arab and Islamic nations to follow Iraq's steps and expel Swedish ambassadors from their countries and withdraw their ambassadors from Sweden over a planned Quran burning in Stockholm.

Nasrallah also called on Muslims to massively attend Friday prayers and sit in front of mosques while "embracing the Quran."

Sweden in hot water

Sweden has faced severe backlash from Muslim nations over the desecration of the Quran.

On Thursday, hundreds of Iraqis stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad and set it ablaze in protest against the expected burning of the Muslim holy book.

Before that, a widespread condemnation from across the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania was elicited over the burning of the Quran last month, an act the Swedish authorities permitted.

Thousands protested in Pakistan and Iraq, Morocco recalled its envoy to Sweden, Iran delayed appointing a new ambassador to Sweden, and other countries denounced the act in protest against Stockholm.