Holy Quran desecrated outside Sweden parliament

STOCKHOLM: Two men set the Holy Quran alight outside parliament in Stockholm on Monday, an AFP reporter saw, at a protest similar to previous ones that have sparked tensions between Sweden and Middle Eastern countries.

Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem set pages of the Holy Quran on fire, as they had done at a protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque in late June — sparking outrage and condemnation across the Middle East.

The duo also staged a similar protest outside Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on July 20. Swedish police granted a permit for the protest by campaigners hoping to see the Holy Quran banned in the country, according to local media. Swedish police have previously stressed that they grant permits only for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during the events.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation on Monday voiced “disappointment” with the response by Sweden and Denmark to a spate of Holy Quran burnings that have sparked outrage across the Middle East.

Secretary-general Hissein Brahim Taha called on both countries to prevent Holy Quran desecration and “expressed his disappointment that no measures were taken in this regard so far”, the 57-member, Jeddah-based body said in a statement after the opening session of an extraordinary meeting on the issue.

“It is unfortunate that the concerned authorities claiming freedom of expression continue to provide licences to repeat these acts contrary to international law, and this leads to a lack of respect for religions,” Taha said in remarks during the meeting.

After the meeting ended, the OIC said Taha would lead a delegation to the European Union to urge officials there “to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such criminal acts under the pretext of freedom of expression”. It also called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special rapporteur on combating Islamophobia.

On Sunday, neighbouring Denmark said it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts, citing security concerns following backlash over incidents that saw the Holy Quran desecrated in the country. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said a similar process was already underway, while noting his country was in “the most serious security situation since World War II”. Swedish and Danish envoys have been summoned to a slew of Middle Eastern nations.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said that he had been in contact with several of his counterparts among the 57 member states of the organisation ahead of the meeting and sent a letter to all members. In a statement, Billstrom said that he had informed them about the process for granting permits for public gatherings in Sweden and that police made such decisions independently.

Billstrom added that he had also reiterated that “the Swedish Government has been very clear in its rejection of the Islamophobic acts carried out by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden.” --AFP

Meanwhile, Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Monday said he received a call from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and raised deep concern on the recent incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran in Denmark and other European countries, according to APP.

In a tweet on social media platform Twitter, he said, “I received a call from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, and raised our deep concern on the recent incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran in Denmark and other European countries. While acknowledging the Danish government’s outreach to the Muslim world and condemnation of these abhorrent acts, I stressed the need for stopping Islamophobic acts that hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the world. Also emphasised the need to promote interfaith harmony and religious tolerance.”