Jun 28, 2023 at 3:53 PMUpdate: 10 minutes ago
A Koran burning took place in Stockholm on Wednesday. Earlier this year, a Swedish court ruled that the government cannot ban Koran burnings. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan says people who endorse the action are complicit.
The demonstration took place at a mosque in the center of the Swedish capital. The leader of the protest, Salwan Momika, set fire to several pages of a Quran.
He also wiped his feet with pages from the book and put bacon in them, writes SVT News. The latter is a sensitive issue because Muslims are not allowed to eat pork because of their religion.
One person has been arrested. It is about a man who wanted to throw stones at Momika, reports The evening paper. According to the newspaper, Momika is from Iraq and he wanted to criticize the Quran with his speech.
Turkish foreign minister reacts furiously
Demonstrations against the Quran are very sensitive in and outside Sweden. They could complicate Sweden’s request to join NATO, as Turkey has reacted furiously to previous Koran burnings. That country has so far opposed Sweden’s accession to the military alliance.
This is partly because, according to Turkey, Sweden is not acting hard enough against members of the PKK. That is a party that claims to fight for the rights of Kurds in Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan responds to Twitter that “it is unacceptable to allow these actions under the pretext of freedom of expression”.
He calls the burning, which took place on the second day of the Islamic festival of sacrifice, a despicable act. “To condone such heinous acts is to be an accomplice,” he writes.
First demonstration since court ruled that protest should not be banned
In January, a right-wing activist set fire to a Quran in Stockholm. After Turkey’s furious reaction, Swedish authorities subsequently banned several Koran burnings.
But the judge later ruled that this was not allowed, because such protests are allowed under the Swedish constitution. Wednesday’s action was according to The evening paper the first since that ruling.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson acknowledged on Wednesday that it is unclear when his country will be able to join NATO. The alliance will hold a summit in Lithuania next month. “No one can promise that it will happen in Vilnius or just before Vilnius,” Kristersson said. “Although that has always been our ambition.”
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2023-06-28 13:53:56
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