Sweden condemns ‘Islamophobic’ desecration of Quran

STOCKHOLM: The Swedish government Sunday condemned this week’s desecration of the holy Quran outside Stockholm’s main mosque but avoided tendering an apology for the abhorrent incident that has deeply hurt Muslims across the globe.

The Swedish government termed the incident an “Islamophobic” act after the OIC called for measures to avoid future incidents.

“The Swedish government fully understands that the Islamophobic acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden can be offensive to Muslims,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn these acts, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government,” it added.

The condemnation came in response to a call for collective measures to avoid future burnings from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

The 57-member body met at its Jeddah headquarters to respond to Wednesday’s incident in which an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the Holy Quran and set several pages alight.

It coincided with the start of the Eidul Azha holiday and the end of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, sparking anger across the Muslim world.

On Sunday, the OIC urged the member states to “take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran,” according to a statement released after the “extraordinary” meeting.

The body´s secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha, “stressed the need to send a clear message that acts of desecration” of the Holy Quran are “not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents,” the statement said.

“We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”

Taha condemned Momika’s desecration of the Holy Quran as “a despicable act”, echoing widespread denunciations that have included demonstrations near the Swedish embassy in Iraq’s capital.

Countries, including Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, have summoned the Swedish ambassadors in protest.

The Swedish police had granted Momika a permit in line with free speech protections, but authorities later said they had opened an investigation over “agitation against an ethnic group,” noting that Momika had burnt pages from the Islamic holy book very close to the mosque.

The act outside the Stockholm Central Mosque prompted international condemnation.

Pakistan strongly condemned the “despicable act” of the public burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Sweden on the occasion of Eidul Azha, in another incident of desecration of the sacred book.

“Such willful incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression and protest,” a statement issued by the Foreign Office in condemnation of the abhorrent incident read.

The FO stated that international law binds all the states to prevent and prohibit any advocacy of “religious hatred” that leads to incitement of violence.

“The recurrence of such Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven actions.”

The FO, on Pakistan’s behalf, reiterated that the right to freedom of expression and opinion does not provide a license to stoke hatred and sabotage inter-faith harmony.

It said that the concerns regarding the matter were being raised with the government of Sweden.

It also urged the international community and the national governments to undertake credible and concrete measures to prevent the rising incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan slammed Sweden over the incident, saying Ankara will never bow down to a policy of provocation or threat.

“We will teach the arrogant Western people that it is not freedom of expression to insult the sacred values of Muslims,” he said.

A day earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called the Quran desecration despicable. “It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression,” Fidan wrote on Twitter. “Turning a blind eye to such atrocious acts is to be complicit.”

Morocco went beyond a statement of condemnation and recalled its ambassador to Sweden for an indefinite period.

The kingdom’s foreign ministry also called on Sweden’s chargé d’affaires in Rabat and expressed its “strong condemnation of this attack and its rejection of this unacceptable act”, according to state media.

The United States condemned the burning but added that issuing the permit for the demonstration supported freedom of expression.

“We believe the demonstration created an environment of fear that will impact the ability of Muslims and members of other religious minority groups from freely exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in Sweden,” US Department of State spokesperson Matt Miller said.

“We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstration’s actions.”

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson called the desecration “provocative, ill-considered and unacceptable”.

“The government and people of the Islamic Republic of Iran… do not tolerate such an insult and strongly condemn it,” said Nasser Kanani.

“The Swedish government is expected to seriously consider the principle of responsibility and accountability in this regard, while preventing the repetition of insulting the holy sanctities,” he added.

Iran’s foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires in Tehran, state media reported on Thursday, condemning what it said was an insult to the most sacred Islamic sanctities.

“While Muslims are performing the Haj… insulting their sanctities merely serves the path of spreading hatred and violence, exploiting the principle of freedom of expression,” Iranian state media said, citing a statement by the ministry.

The Saudi foreign ministry also condemned the burning.

“These hateful and repeated acts cannot be accepted with any justification,” it said. The foreign ministry also voiced concern about “repeated incidents” of the burning of the Quran in Europe.

Egypt expressed its deep concern about the repeated incidents of burning the Holy Quran and the recent escalation of Islamophobia and crimes of blasphemy of religions in some European countries, affirming its total rejection of all reprehensible practices that affect the constants and religious beliefs of Muslims.

Iraq summoned the Swedish ambassador to Iraq on Thursday over the incident.

It called the act “racist” and “irresponsible”, adding that it condemns “the repeated acts of burning copies of the holy Quran by individuals with extremist and disturbed minds”.

“They are not only racist but also promote violence and hatred,” the Iraqi government said in a statement.

“These irresponsible actions, in direct conflict with the values of respect for diversity and the beliefs of others, are unequivocally condemned,” the government added.

Jordan on Thursday summoned the Swedish ambassador in Amman and informed her of the country’s strong protest, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said in a statement. The country condemned the act, calling it “racist” and an “incitement”.

“The Ministry affirmed that burning the Holy Quran is an act of dangerous hate, and a manifestation of Islamophobia that incites violence and insulting religions and cannot be considered a form of freedom of expression at all,” the kingdom said in a statement.

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the burning was a “dangerous, provocative step that inflames the feelings of Muslims around the world”.

It called on the international community and governments “to take responsibility for swift action to renounce feelings of hatred, extremism and religious intolerance”.

The Yemeni government rejected the incident as one “deliberately provoking the feelings of Muslims around the world on holy Islamic occasions by a hateful extremist movement,” a statement by its foreign ministry said. It also called for an end to the “repeated abuses” stemming from a “culture of hatred”.

Syria’s government condemned the “disgraceful act” on one of the holiest days for Muslims “by an extremist with the permission and consent of the Swedish government”.

The Palestinian foreign ministry called the desecration a “flagrant attack on human rights, values of tolerance, acceptance of others, democracy and peaceful coexistence among followers of all religions”.

The United Arab Emirates summoned the Swedish ambassador on Thursday to protest against the burning.

Qatar condemned the Swedish authorities’ permission to burn copies of the Quran Thursday calling it a “heinous” act to have especially occurred on Eid.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that allowing repeated infringement of the Holy Quran under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards,” its foreign ministry said.