Latest editorial
Protesters raise copies of the Quran in Baghdad, Iraq, during a protest against the holy book's burning in Denmark and Sweden, July 22, 2023
TENSIONS in Iraq flared again at the weekend over a series of recent protests in Europe involving the desecration of the Koran, which have sparked a debate over the balance between free expression and religious sensitivities.
Early on Saturday, hundreds of protesters tried to storm Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses foreign embassies and the seat of the Iraqi government, following reports that an ultranationalist group had burnt a copy of the Koran in front of the Iraqi embassy in the Danish capital Copenhagen the previous day.
The protest took place two days after people angered by the planned burning of the Islamic holy book in Sweden stormed the country’s embassy in Baghdad.
History shows from Iraq to Libya, and now Iran, that regime-change fantasies rarely deliver stability — but they always deliver human and economic cost, says MARYAM ESLAMDOUST
Once again Tower Hamlets is being targeted by anti-Islam campaigners, this time a revamped and radicalised version of Ukip — the far-right event is now banned by the police, but we’ll be assembling this Saturday to make sure they stay away, says JAYDEE SEAFORTH
