In Iran, Iraq and Lebanon, protesters planned demonstrations after Swedish police allowed a protest Thursday in which an Iraqi Christian living in Stockholm kicked and stood on a Koran, the holy book of Islam outside the Iraqi Embassy.
Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani has ordered the expulsion of Swedish Ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of Iraqi taskmen from Sweden.
In neighboring Iran, demonstrators also planned to take to the streets. Iranian Foreign Minister Hosseyin Amirabdullahian has written a letter to the UN Secretary General regarding the desecration of the Koran and has summoned the Swedish ambassador.
The man in Stockholm also wiped his feet with a photograph of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his protest, and made a move similar to a photo of the famous Iraqi Shiite clergyman, Muqtada al-Sadr.
Lebanon's militant rain group Hezbollah also called for a demonstration Friday afternoon.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah called on Muslims Thursday evening to ask their governments to expel Sweden's ambassadors.
Saudi Arabia and Qatar called on Swedish diplomats to condemn the desecration. Turkey's Foreign Ministry also criticised the move.
In Pakistan, Prime Minister Shephazat Sharif strongly condemned events in Sweden. He called on the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Co-operation to play a historic <x0-volt in expressing Muslim feelings and preventing such demonisation”.
On Thursday morning, protesters in Baghdad attacked the Swedish Embassy for several hours and set a small fire. The embassy staff was evacuated the day before. After protesters left the embassy, diplomats closed it to visitors without specifying when it will reopen.
Last month, a man burned a Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm during the main Muslim holiday of Kurban Bajrami, causing the Islamic world to rage.
The right to hold such public protests is protected by the Constitution in Sweden.
Swedish police generally give permission based on whether she believes a public gathering can be held without major interruptions or security risks.
For Muslims, the burning of the Koran represents a desecration of the sacred text of their religion.
The burnings of the Koran in the past have sparked protests throughout the Muslim world, some of which have turned into violent protests.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban suspended all activities of Swedish organisations in the country.
A similar protest by an extreme right-wing activist was held outside Turkey's Embassy earlier this year, complicating Sweden's efforts to convince Turkey to allow it to join NATO.
