ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi leaders on Sunday condemned western diplomatic missions in Baghdad for hoisting rainbow flags in a sign of solidarity on the International Day against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

The European Union, the World Bank MENA, and the Canadian and British embassies to Iraq all hoisted the flag in Baghdad on Sunday morning to “highlight the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people,” the EU mission said in a tweet, which has since been removed. Rudaw English has approached the EU mission for comment, but is yet to receive a response. The British embassy has also since removed its tweet.

Although same-sex relationships are technically legal under the Iraqi Penal Code, they are still widely frowned upon in the largely conservative society.

Iraq’s foreign ministry issued a statement on Sunday to “denounce” the raising of the flags, claiming it is against “the noble morals of all divine religions.” “We remind all the missions operating in Iraq to adhere by the laws of the country, and to follow diplomatic norms,” it said.

Bashir Hadad, deputy speaker of Iraqi parliament, also issued a statement calling the hoisting of the pride flags a “clear provocation to the feelings of the Iraqi people.”

Amir Ashour, founder and executive director of activist network IraQueer, said being LGBTQ+ is not incompatible with being Iraqi.

“Critics […] continue to rely on the outdated and unfounded notion that being LGBT+ is a western export. We believe that diversity exists everywhere. The recognition of the LGBT+ community in Iraq, an important and valuable part of the society, is not a western export,” Ashour told Rudaw English. The act of raising the pride flag is a tribute to those murdered and persecuted for their sexuality, he said. Read more via Rudaw