INSIDER
A boycott call and security concerns mar Iraq's first provincial elections in a decade
Read full article: A boycott call and security concerns mar Iraq's first provincial elections in a decadeBaghdad’s streets are nearly empty on Monday, the main day of polling in the country’s first provincial elections in a decade.
Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraq's first provincial elections in a decade
Read full article: Voter apathy and concerns about violence mark Iraq's first provincial elections in a decadeIraqis have begun voting for the first time in a decade to select new provincial council members, who in turn will appoint governors, with the outcome seen as a bellwether for the parliamentary elections due to take place in 2025.
Denmark seeks to legally prevent burnings of Quran or other religious scriptures
Read full article: Denmark seeks to legally prevent burnings of Quran or other religious scripturesDenmark’s foreign minister says the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other holy books in front of foreign embassies.
Thousands of Muslims took to the streets to express outrage over Quran desecration in Sweden
Read full article: Thousands of Muslims took to the streets to express outrage over Quran desecration in SwedenThousands of people took to the streets in a handful of Muslim-majority countries to express their outrage at the desecration of a copy of the Quran in Sweden.
Protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after man threatens to burn Quran in Stockholm
Read full article: Protesters storm Swedish Embassy in Baghdad after man threatens to burn Quran in StockholmProtesters angered by an Iraqi man in Sweden who threatened to burn a copy of the Quran stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.
Populist Iraqi cleric announces suspension of his movement
Read full article: Populist Iraqi cleric announces suspension of his movementInfluential Iraqi Shiite cleric and political leader Muqtada al-Sadr says he will suspend the movement he leads for one year, citing “corruption” among some of his followers.
Protests against Quran burning held across the Middle East
Read full article: Protests against Quran burning held across the Middle EastAngry protesters in several Middle Eastern countries have gathered to denounce the recent desecration of Islam’s holy book by far-right activists in Sweden and the Netherlands.
Political crisis continues in Baghdad after bloody clashes
Read full article: Political crisis continues in Baghdad after bloody clashesIraqi paramilitary forces killed in heavy clashes have been laid to rest as the country's parliament speaker called for three days of mourning for the dozens killed.
EXPLAINER: What spurred the bloody armed clashes in Baghdad?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What spurred the bloody armed clashes in Baghdad?Iraq witnessed bloody street violence for nearly 24 hours spurred by loyalists of a powerful Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, that was the culmination of a 10-month power struggle.
Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in Baghdad
Read full article: Hundreds of thousands gather for mass prayer in BaghdadHundreds of thousands of Iraqis have held a mass prayer called for by an influential Shiite cleric in Baghdad, a highly symbolic move amid an unprecedented political crisis roiling Iraq.
In Baghdad's Sadr City, cleric's support underpins protests
Read full article: In Baghdad's Sadr City, cleric's support underpins protestsResidents of the impoverished Baghdad suburb of Sadr City say they support an influential Shiite cleric who called on thousands of his followers to storm Iraq's parliament.
Threat of protests, violent escalation stirs fears in Iraq
Read full article: Threat of protests, violent escalation stirs fears in IraqThousands of Shiites gathered in Baghdad for a counter-rally called by Iran-backed groups against their rival, an influential cleric whose followers are staging a sit-in inside the Iraqi parliament, have left the area.
Iraq cleric's followers camped out in parliament for 2nd day
Read full article: Iraq cleric's followers camped out in parliament for 2nd dayHundreds of followers of an influential Shiite cleric are camped out inside Iraq's parliament after toppling security walls around the building and storming in the previous day.
Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-in
Read full article: Iraqi protesters storm parliament in Baghdad, set up sit-inThousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric have stormed into Iraq's parliament to protest government formation efforts led by his rivals from Iran-backed groups.
EXPLAINER: What's behind the storming of Iraq's parliament?
Read full article: EXPLAINER: What's behind the storming of Iraq's parliament?Followers of Iraq's influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr came by the thousands to storm the country's parliament at his command, and they rapidly dispersed with little violence.
Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of force
Read full article: Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of forceHundreds of Iraqi protesters have breached Baghdad’s parliament, chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties.
Iraq's PM to push for regional dialogue at Mideast summit
Read full article: Iraq's PM to push for regional dialogue at Mideast summitIraq’s caretaker prime minister, whose country is mired in political crisis, says it is in Iraq’s interest to keep pushing for a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to ease regional tensions.
Iraq's new parliament holds 1st session marked by disarray
Read full article: Iraq's new parliament holds 1st session marked by disarrayIraq’s new parliament has reelected its speaker for a second term, the first step toward forming a new government after a general election whose results have been contested by powerful Iran-backed factions.
Clashes with cleric's supporters kill 5 in southern Iraq
Read full article: Clashes with cleric's supporters kill 5 in southern IraqFollowers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, in the posters, gather in Tahrir Square, Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Nov. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)BAGHDAD – Supporters of a firebrand Iraqi cleric shot dead five people on Saturday, according to medical officials, in overnight clashes with anti-government protesters in southern Iraq. Following the clashes beginning on Friday, al-Sadr’s supporters stormed Haboubi square, and torched tents pitched in the square. Anti-government protesters feel betrayed by al-Sadr’s flip-flop approach toward them, especially in the last few months when he withdrew support for their movement. Dozens returned to the anti-government sit-in's site on Saturday morning in support of those protesters killed overnight.