Sweden’s embassy in Lebanon attacked amid anger over Quran burning incidents

Stockholm’s foreign minister and a diplomatic source released a statement on Thursday saying that an attacker threw a Molotov cocktail at Sweden’s embassy in Beirut following recent incidents involving burnings and desecrations of  Islam’s holy book Quran.

“We confirm that there was a Molotov cocktail thrown at the facade of our embassy last evening, which did not explode,” a diplomatic source at the embassy said, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The “perpetrator managed to run away”, the source added.

Tensions have escalated between Sweden and Muslim countries after many protests involving public desecrations of the Quran were reported in the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Lebanon witnessed demonstrations at mosques, while the chief of the pro-Iran Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah called for the Swedish ambassador to be removed from his position.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said “it was sheer luck that no one was injured” in Wednesday’s attack and that staff were safe.

“The incident is currently being investigated,” he said in a statement on Thursday, noting that “Lebanese authorities have an obligation under the Vienna Convention to protect diplomatic missions”.

Late last month, two Iraqi men had set a copy of the holy book of the Quran alight outside the Swedish parliament in Stockholm.

Salwan Momika and Sakwan Najem allegedly kicked and stomped on the holy book, then proceeded to set its pages on the fore before slamming it shut, just like in a protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque in late June. It had sparked outrage and condemnations across West Asia.

The same duo was also involved in a protest outside Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on July 20. On that day, they stomped on the holy book but did not burn it.

Turkey urges Sweden to take steps

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, last month, urged Sweden to take substantial steps to stop incidents related to the burning of the Quran, as per a Turkish foreign ministry source.

In a phone call, Fidan told his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom that the continuation of such “vile actions” under the garb of freedom of expression was ‘unacceptable’, the source said.

Denmark to put legal limits on protests involving Quran burnings

Denmark’s government late last month said it would put legal limitations in order to stop the demonstrations involving the burning of Islam’s holy book Quran in certain circumstances, citing security concerns.

“The burnings are deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals. These few individuals do not represent the values the Danish society is built on,” Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said separately in a statement.

“The Danish government will therefore explore the possibility of intervening in special situations where, for instance, other countries, cultures, and religions are being insulted, and where this could have significant negative consequences for Denmark, not least with regard to security,” he said.

“This must of course be done within the framework of the constitutionally protected freedom of expression and in a manner that does not change the fact that freedom of expression in Denmark has a very broad scope,” the Danish government said in a statement from the foreign ministry, further stressing it as one of the country’s most important values.

(With inputs from agencies)