Referees, players, and fans during an Iraqi League football match held up copies of the holy Qur’an in protest against the despicable incident of burning the holy Book in Sweden. This incident has understandably sparked outrage and condemnations worldwide.

Before the start of the match on Friday, between Al-Shorta and Al-Qasim, match officials and players held the Quran in a snow of passion and love, with some kissing the holy book, Aaj News reported.

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Many fans followed the lead, holding up copies of the holy Qur’an. A group of fans also held up a banner that read: “The Qur’an is our eternal law, and defending it is obligatory for every Muslim.”

This remarkable act of protest came in the wake of the provocative incident tha occurred in Sweden, when a man who identified himself the media as a refugee from Iraq burned a Qur’an outside the central mosque in Stockholm.

The incident, obviously approved by Swedish authorities, has ignited a rage of condemnations and protests across the Arab and Muslim world, with several countries including Iraq, Turkey, UAE, Jordan and Iran summoning Sweden’s ambassadors.

The EU also condemned the burning of the Quran as “offensive, and disrespectful and a clear act of provocation”.

The powerful symbolism of the protest has made headlines across Iraqi media and eventually gone viral on social media.