Koran burned: the Swedish government condemns an “Islamophobic” act
The Swedish government on Sunday condemned the burning of a Koran in front of a mosque in Stockholm, while recalling that freedom of expression in Sweden was protected by the constitution.
The Swedish government on Sunday, July 2, condemned the burning of a Koran in front of Stockholm’s main mosque, calling it an “Islamophobic” act, after the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) called for preventing such an incident from happening again.
The government “fully understands that Islamophobic actions by individuals during protests in Sweden can be offensive to Muslims. We strongly condemn such actions, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government,” the foreign ministry said. foreigners in a press release.
This stance came shortly after the OIC, an international organization of 57 countries, called to prevent copies of the Koran from being burned again.
The organization urged its member states to “take collective measures to prevent further desecration of copies (of the Quran)”, according to a statement issued after the “extraordinary” meeting at its headquarters in Jeddah. (west) in Saudi Arabia.
“An offensive and disrespectful act”
“Burning a Koran, or any other holy text, is an offensive and disrespectful act and a clear provocation. Related expressions of racism, xenophobia and intolerance have no place in Sweden or Sweden. Europe,” the Swedish Foreign Ministry continued.
At the same time, it is emphasized that Sweden has a “constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression and demonstration”.
After the burning, countries with a Muslim majority such as Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates or Morocco summoned the Swedish ambassadors in protest.
Swedish police had authorized the demonstration, where pages of the Koran were burned, but later opened an investigation for “agitation against an ethnic group”, on the grounds that the act took place in front of a mosque.
AFP
