00:00 The tension and uneasy calm between Iraq and Swedish authorities seem to be worsening.
00:10 Iraq has expelled Sweden's ambassador and has recalled its top diplomatic representative
00:15 from the Nordic country over the desecration of the Quran.
00:19 The move came just hours after protesters attacked the Swedish embassy in Baghdad yesterday,
00:24 setting fire to part of the building.
00:27 The tensions between Iraq and Sweden had first started when an Iraqi national had set fire
00:32 to a copy of the Quran in the Swedish capital of Stockholm last month.
00:37 Then Swedish police had granted permit for yet another planned gathering that was to
00:41 include a burning of the Muslim holy book in public.
00:44 And at the start of the year, a far-right activist from Denmark had also carried out
00:49 a similar stunt outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
00:52 So how exactly are the Swedish authorities dealing with the recent spread of Quran burning
00:57 in their country?
00:59 Why are the incidents of Quran burning so common in Sweden?
01:02 There is no law in Sweden specifically prohibiting the burning or desecration of the Quran or
01:07 other religious texts.
01:09 Like many Western countries, Sweden does not have any blasphemy laws.
01:13 But it wasn't always this way in the country.
01:16 As late as the 19th century, blasphemy was considered a serious crime in Sweden, punishable
01:21 by death.
01:23 blasphemy laws were gradually relaxed as Sweden became increasingly secular and the
01:27 last such law was taken off the books in 1970.
01:30 Now in Sweden, it is up to police, not the government, to decide whether to authorize
01:35 demonstrations or public gatherings.
01:38 The freedom of speech is protected under the Swedish constitution.
01:42 Police need to cite specific grounds to deny a permit for a demonstration or public gathering
01:47 such as risks to public safety.
01:49 Stockholm police had done exactly that in February when they denied two applications
01:54 for Quran burning protests, citing assessments from the Swedish security service that such
01:59 acts could increase the risk of terror attacks against Sweden.
02:02 But a court later overturned those decisions, saying the police needed to cite more concrete
02:07 threats to ban a public gathering.
02:10 The right to hold public demonstrations is very strong in Sweden and is protected very
02:14 heavily by the constitution.
02:16 Sweden's hate speech law prohibits incitement against groups of people based on race, ethnicity,
02:22 religion, sexual orientation or even gender identity.
02:26 Some are of the opinion that burning the Quran constitutes incitement against Muslims and
02:31 should therefore be considered as hate speech.
02:34 Others say that such acts are targeting the religion of Islam rather than practitioners
02:39 of the faith and that criticism of religion must be covered by freedom of speech even
02:44 when some may consider it offensive.
02:47 Swedish broadcaster SVT in a July survey had found that more than half of people polled
02:52 supported a ban on religious texts being burned.
02:56 The survey cited 53% of respondents as saying burning holy books in public should be outlawed,
03:02 34% said it should be allowed and 11% remained undecided.
03:08 Another reason for an increase in the incidence of Quran burning in Sweden is an increase
03:12 in popularity of far-right parties who believe that migrants, especially Muslim migrants,
03:18 cause law and order situation.
03:20 The action of burning Quran for them serves more than just a symbolic value.
03:25 It pushes their belief system that Muslim migrants are not welcome in Sweden.
03:39 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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