2023-07-02 15:45:31
The Swedish government confirmed, on Sunday, its condemnation of the burning of an Iraqi residing on its lands, a copy of the Qur’an in front of the main Stockholm mosque, considering that what he did was an “anti-Islamic act.”
This came shortly following the Organization of Islamic Cooperation called on its members to “take measures to prevent the recurrence of similar acts.”
The Swedish Foreign Ministry said in a statement: “The Swedish government fully understands that anti-Islamic acts committed by individuals during demonstrations in Sweden might 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 what Agence France-Presse reported.
Earlier Sunday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which includes 57 member states, called for collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of the Qur’an, adding that “international law must be applied, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”
The organization’s statement came following an emergency meeting in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
The Secretary-General of the organization, Hussein Ibrahim Taha, stressed “the need to send a continuous reminder to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”
An Iraqi man tore up a copy of the Koran and burned it outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of Eid al-Adha.
The Swedish police agreed to organize a small protest outside the mosque, whose organizer said he would “burn the Qur’an”, but following the incident the police accused the man of inciting once morest an ethnic or national group.
The incident sparked protests in Baghdad in front of the Swedish embassy and was also condemned by the United States.
1688315583
#Sweden #condemns #burning #Quran #considers #antiIslamic #act
