Ahmad Alloush canceled burning Torah and Bible in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Instead, he was demonstrating defending the Koran which had been the target of burning before. Photo/Al Jazeera
STOCKHOLM – Ahmad Alloush (32), a Muslim man of Syrian origin who was preparing to burn the Torah and Bible outside the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, decided not to continue. He wanted to show that adherents of Islam really respect other religions.
He really just wanted to show the world how religious people would feel if their holy books were burned, as Muslims felt when Al-Quran dibakar in front of the Stockholm mosque during Eid al-Adha.
Despite receiving permission from the Swedish authorities for a demonstration by burning the Torah and the Bible, Ahmad threw the match on the ground instead of burning the holy books of the Jews and Christians.
“I never thought I would burn any book. I am a Muslim, we do not burn [kitab agama],” said Ahmad to the masses gathered in a demonstration in Stockholm, Saturday (15/7/2023), as quoted by SVTSunday (16/7/2023).
The 32-year-old stressed that the aim of his protest was to highlight the difference between exercising the right to free speech and offending other ethnic groups.
The Swedish authorities’ decision to allow the burning of holy books has drawn immediate condemnation from Israeli officials and Jewish organizations, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
However, Ahmad, the organizer of the demonstration, clarified that his intention was not to burn the holy book but rather to condemn those who recently desecrated the Koran in Sweden, noting that such action is not prohibited by Swedish law.
“This is a response to people burning Korans. I want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be considered,” explained Ahmad, a refugee who has become a Swedish citizen.
2023-07-16 02:00:29
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