The Iraqi government is outraged that the EU representation in Baghdad yesterday raised a rainbow flag. This violates the religious feelings of many citizens and contradicts the values and social norms of the country, which is largely populated by Muslims, the Foreign Ministry said after a report by the state news agency INA.
The EU representation had raised the flag according to media reports on the occasion of the international day against homophobia, bi-, inter- and trans-hostility. The embassies of Canada and Great Britain followed suit.
The influential Shiite minister Moktada al-Sadr was also outraged by the action and spoke of an „aggression against the law and religion of Iraq“. Only a few weeks ago, he had described same-sex marriages as one of the reasons for the spread of the coronavirus. According to Islamic belief, homosexuality is prohibited.
