The European Union condemned the burning of the Qur’an in front of a mosque in Stockholm, which sparked widespread condemnation in the Islamic world.
A statement issued by the union on Saturday:
The European Union joins the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its strong rejection of the burning of the Qur’an by a person in Sweden. This work in no way reflects the views of the European Union. Burning the Qur’an or other holy books is insulting, disrespectful and a clear provocation. Manifestations of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Europe, indeed it is very unfortunate that such an act was carried out in the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha. The European Union continues to defend freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression, abroad and at home. Now is the time to stand together for mutual understanding and respect and to prevent any further escalation.
The union also announced that it “is closely following the developments in Baghdad, and calls for calm and restraint. We condemn the attacks on diplomatic buildings,” referring to the demonstration of thousands of Iraqis near the Swedish embassy building in Baghdad, denouncing the burning of the Koran.
The Swedish police accused the man who burned the Koran of incitement against an ethnic or national group, while the man described himself in a newspaper interview as “an Iraqi refugee seeking to ban the Koran.”
On Thursday, the Iraqi foreign ministry summoned the Swedish ambassador to Baghdad and urged Stockholm to hand over the man so he could be tried according to Iraqi law.
Swedish police have rejected many recent requests to organize anti-Quran protests, but courts have overturned those decisions, saying they violate freedom of expression.
In their statement on Wednesday’s incident, Swedish police said that while “it may have foreign policy consequences, the security risks and consequences associated with the burning of the Qur’an were not such that the request should be denied.”
The governments of many Islamic countries, including Turkey, the UAE, Jordan and Morocco, issued protests against the incident, and the United States condemned it, but added that the protest permit supports freedom of expression and does not represent support for what happened in it.
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2023-07-01 07:52:07
