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A Swedish youth of Iraqi origin burns a copy of the Qur’an in front of a mosque in Stockholm.
On Sunday, the Swedish government condemned the burning of a copy of the Koran in front of Stockholm’s main mosque by a Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin, saying that what he did was an “anti-Islamic act.”
This came after the Organization of the Islamic Conference, on Sunday, called on Islamic member states to take collective measures to prevent the burning of the Qur’an again.
While the Iranian government refused to send a new ambassador to Sweden, after a demonstrator burned a Quran in front of a mosque in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
An Iraqi refugee in Sweden burned a copy of the Koran outside a mosque in the capital, Stockholm, on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
Last week, the Swedish police charged this person with incitement against an ethnic or national group.
Plans to burn copies of the Koran have sparked riots in Sweden in recent months. The police refused similar requests recently from people who wanted to protest by burning copies of the Koran, but the courts then ruled that they should be allowed to do so on the grounds of freedom of expression.
Muslims regard the Qur’an as the holy book revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, and any deliberate harm to copying the Qur’an or showing disrespect for it is a severe offense to Islam.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirollahian blamed the Swedish government for giving him permission to protest (despite knowing of his intention).
Abdullahian said that despite the appointment of a new ambassador to Iran in Sweden, Tehran will not send him to carry out his duties.
He said in a statement on Twitter, “The process of dispatching the new ambassador has been halted due to the Swedish government’s issuance of a permit to desecrate the Noble Qur’an.”
For its part, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked its Swedish counterpart to hand over the man who burned the Qur’an, noting that he is still an Iraqi citizen and holds Iraqi citizenship alongside the Swedish one, so he must be tried in Baghdad.
‘Sweden understands’
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Iraqi demonstrators tried to storm the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, at the invitation of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
In reaction to the incident, thousands of Iraqis demonstrated in front of the Swedish embassy and tried to storm it at the invitation of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, but they left quickly after fifteen minutes when a security force was deployed in the place.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christerson condemned the attempted attack on his country’s embassy, but also said, “It is time for Sweden to think about its identity.”
“Of course it is completely unacceptable for people to illegally storm Swedish embassies in other countries. I think we also need to think about what is going on in Sweden. It is a serious security situation, and there is no reason to insult others,” he said.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Sunday: “The Swedish government fully understands that anti-Islamic acts committed by individuals during demonstrations in Sweden could be offensive to Muslims.”
She added, “We strongly condemn these actions, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government,” recalling at the same time that “freedom of expression is a constitutionally protected right in Sweden,” according to Agence France-Presse.
“standard procedures”
For its part, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, after an emergency meeting at its headquarters in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Sunday, called on member states to take “united and collective measures” to prevent countries from burning copies of the Qur’an again.
The Secretary-General of the organization, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, said, “There is a need to send a clear message that acts of desecration of the Holy Qur’an and insulting the Holy Prophet Muhammad – may God bless him and grant him peace – and Islamic symbols are not just ordinary Islamophobia incidents.”
He urged countries around the world to abide by international law “which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred”.
Several countries, including Morocco, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, summoned their ambassadors in Stockholm after the incident.
Anger also ignited in other Muslim-majority countries, including Turkey, a member of NATO, which opposes Sweden’s accession to the alliance.
On Wednesday, Turkey’s foreign minister tweeted that it was “unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression.”
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2023-07-02 20:01:23
