A copy of the Holy Qur’ān was set ablaze on June 28outside of the Stockholm Mosque in Medborgarplatsen, where SalwanMomika first threw the copy of the Qur’ān on the ground before burning it with insulting words to Islam.The provocation occurred under police protection on the first day of Eid al-Adha.Thisuncalled-for incident has earned worldwide criticism.
MahmutKhalfi, the head of the Stockholm Mosque Association, rejected the provocation and police permission, saying the incident deeply upset Muslims around the world.
Mikail Yuksel, head of the Nyans (Nuance) party, said that while the Swedish government is working on a headscarf ban in schools, the burning of the Qur’ān on Eid hurt Muslims deeply.
Condemning the provocative incident, Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior member of Hamas, said on Twitter, “The burning of the holy Qur’ān is a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world and an aggression on their beliefs.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on June 28 condemned the burning of the Holy Qur’ān in Sweden. Fidan wrote on Twitter, “It is unacceptable to allow these islamophobe anti-Muslim actions under the pretext of freedom of expression.”
Many Arab countries have also condemned this extremist act. The Saudi Foreign Ministry slammed the incident, saying “these hateful and repeated acts cannot be accepted with any justification, and they clearly incite hatred, exclusion and racism.”
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said “burning the Holy Qur’ān is an act of dangerous hate, and a manifestation of Islamophobia that incites violence and insulting religions, and it cannot be considered a form of freedom of expression at all.”
Also, the Arab Parliament said in a statement that what happened was “an act of incitement that would inflame the feelings of Muslims around the world.”
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in an extraordinary session of its executive committee in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on July 2 to discuss the consequences of the desecration, strongly condemned the incident and called for collective measures to prevent the recurrence of such provocative acts.
The OIC pledged to continue its fight against Islamophobia at regional and international forums.
Following the hateful incident, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Sweden on June 28. Morocco’s Foreign Ministry also summoned Sweden’s top diplomat in Rabat and conveyed the kingdom’s condemnation of the incident and its rejection of the “unacceptable” act.
The US said it is “disrespectful’ to burn religious texts.Russian lawmakers on June 29 condemned the hurtful incident.The State Duma adopted a statement, decrying the Sweden authorities’ authorisation for such actions.The members of the parliament particularly emphasised that the religious feelings of Muslim people were hurt.
Iran said it would refrain from sending a new ambassador to Sweden in protest over the burning of a Qur’ān. Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires on June 29 to condemn what it said was an insult to the most sacred Islamic sanctities.
The EU on July 1 said burning a copy of the Qur’ān or any other holy book “is offensive, and disrespectful and a clear act of provocation”. “Manifestations of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Europe,” Nabila Massrali, the EU spokesperson, said.
On June 30, Iraqi League football match officials and players held up the Qur’ān with some kissing it to show their reverence for the sacred text. One group of fans held up a banner that read: “The Qur’ān is our eternal law, and defending it is obligatory for every Muslim.”