Misleading photos: Iraq denies Quran burning near Tigris

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraqi authorities refuted social media allegations of Qurans being deliberately burned along the Tigris River.

Major General Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said the photos of burned Qurans circulating on social media originated from a March 8 fire on Al-Mutanabbi Street that damaged several bookstores.

“Some platforms are misrepresenting the incident by spreading images from the bookstore fire as evidence of Quran desecration,” Maan stated, clarifying that Civil Defense teams isolated the damaged copies and placed them near the river out of respect.

The Civil Defense Directorate had previously reported that the March 8 fire, caused by an electrical short circuit, broke out in a two-story warehouse storing books and stationery. Ten firefighting teams contained the blaze without injuries.