Iraq on Sunday threatened to cut diplomatic ties with any government that allows the desecration of the Quran, the country’s top authorities said.
For the second time in weeks, an Iraqi man of Christian origin living in Sweden as a self-proclaimed atheist desecrated the Quran and Iraqi flags on Thursday in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
Hours later, Iraq asked the Swedish ambassador to leave its territory and recalled its charge d’affaires from Stockholm.
Late on Sunday, Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al Halbousi and Supreme Court Chief Justice Faiq Zaidan met to discuss issues including the desecration of the Quran and the Iraqi flag.
“The presidencies have denounced during the meeting the intentional offence and the licences granted by Swedish authorities to desecrate the holy Quran and the Iraqi flag,” their statement read.
The leaders expressed their support to the government in its steps to cut diplomatic ties with Sweden or “with any country that doesn’t respect the Muslims' sanctities or supports any measure that leads to insulting sanctities and religions".
The latest burning and desecration of the Quran and the Iraqi flag in Sweden caused massive protests in Iraq, mainly by the supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr.
Those supporters broke into the Sweden embassy in Baghdad early on Thursday morning and set it ablaze.
On Saturday, they tried to enter the heavily fortified government complex known as the Green Zone, probably to reach the Danish embassy, as members of ultra-nationalist group Danske Patrioter burnt a copy of the Quran and an Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen.
Iraqi security forces controlled the situation.
The four leaders also stressed the “necessity of taking the needed measures to protect diplomatic missions”.
Widespread condemnation
After the second event in Stockholm and the one in Denmark, different Muslim and Arab countries summoned Sweden’s envoys.
On Sunday, the UAE strongly condemned the burning of a Quran in Denmark, calling on the Danish government to take responsibility to stop these actions, according to Emirati news agency Wam.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed the importance of monitoring hate speech that harm peace and security, expressing its rejection of the use of freedom of expression as justification for such heinous acts.
The diplomatic adviser to the UAE President, Dr Anwar Gargash, chastised Sweden and Denmark, saying their "definition of freedom of expression falls in the mire of hatred and racism that is practiced in a licenced manner by provoking the religious feelings of peoples".
"Hate cannot be categorized in any way as freedom of expression", Dr Gargash said in a statement, underlining that the world needs to deepen "the concepts of tolerance and coexistence based on respecting religions and the beliefs of others".
Also on Sunday, the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation announced the suspension of the status of Sweden's special envoy.
In its statement, the organisation of 57 Muslim-majority nations said that the suspension was due to the "granting by the Swedish authorities of licences that enabled the repeated abuse of the sanctity of the holy Quran and Islamic symbols".
The OIC decision came after the bloc's executive committee held a July 2 meeting following an earlier Quran-burning incident.
The committee asked the Secretary General to consider suspending the status of the special envoy from “any country in which copies of the holy Quran or other Islamic values and symbols are desecrated with the consent of the authorities concerned", according to Sunday's statement.
The organisation said it had sent a letter to Sweden's Foreign Minister, Tobias Billstrom, conveying the decision.
The OIC is set to hold an emergency meeting to discuss the desecration of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. It did not give a date for the meeting.
The meeting, in response to two requests submitted by the ministry, will discuss the “most important collective actions and stances of the member countries”, the statement said.
The latest incidents “provoked the feelings of over a billion Muslims worldwide”, it said, describing the actions as "provocative and heinous practices against Islamic sanctities".
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
As it stands in Pool A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
