June 29, 2023
Quran burning anew in Sweden sparks outrage in the Muslim World
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Following approval from a Swedish court, a copy of the Holy Quran was burnt outside the main mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday which coincided with the beginning of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
According to Swedish public broadcaster SVT, 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, Salwan Momika, had requested authorization for the burning of Quran. He wants the Holy Quran banned. He tore out pages from the Quran, rubbed them on his shoe, and put part of them on fire.
Around 200 individuals, including counter-protesters, arrived to observe. One person who attempted to throw a rock was apprehended, according to media reports.
The burning of a Quran outside the main mosque in Sweden on one of Eid al-Adha sparked outrage Thursday in several Muslim countries with widespread condemnations of Sweden.
Several hundred people protested outside the Swedish Embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, at the urging of Muqtada al-Sadr, a populist cleric who called on the Iraqi government to break off diplomatic relations with Sweden, which he called hostile to Islam.
The crowd became increasingly angry, scaling the wall surrounding the compound and pushing through an external gate, according to the New York Times. There was no sign that Iraqi diplomatic police forces attempted to stop them. The protesters did not enter the embassy itself, which was closed for the Islamic holiday, and eventually left. Mr. Sadr called for larger protests after prayers on Friday.
Morocco recalled its ambassador to Sweden for an indefinite period to protest the Quran burning, the state news agency said. Morocco's foreign ministry also summoned Sweden's chargé d'affaires in Rabat and expressed the kingdom's "strong condemnation of this attack and its rejection of this unacceptable act", the state news agency said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Thursday denounced the burning of Quran in Sweden. "We will eventually teach Western monuments of arrogance that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought," Erdoğan told members of the Justice and Development (AK) Party via a video message. Türkiye will "show our reaction in the strongest way until a determined fight against terrorist organizations and enemies of Islam is carried out," he added. "As much as those who commit this crime, those who allow it under the guise of freedom of thought, those who turn a blind eye to this baseness will not achieve their goals," the president said.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan criticized Wednesday’s incident saying it was unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression. “Turning a blind eye to such atrocious acts is to be complicit,” he said on Twitter.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson called the incident “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 the Foreign Ministry spokesman, 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.
Jordan also said it had expressed its displeasure to Sweden’s ambassador, according to the state news agency, calling it “a racist act of serious hate.”
Egypt said Momika’s act was “shameful”, especially since it took place on Eidul Adha. Its foreign ministry voiced concern about “repeated incidents” of the burning of the Quran in Europe. “Egypt expresses its deep concern about the repeated incidents of burning the Holy Qur’an 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,” it said in a statement.
In a Tweet the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur'an by “an extremist at the Stockholm Central Mosque following Eid al-Adha prayer.”
Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zambry Abd Kadir, tweeted: The desecration of the Holy Book, while Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid Al-Adha, is very offensive to Muslims worldwide and violates the universal principle of respect and understanding towards all religions and their Holy Scriptures. The decision by the Swedish court is sadly not a progressive move in our efforts to enhance mutual respect and understanding for the betterment of humankind.
The burning of the Quran in Stockholm on Wednesday followed a similar incident in January in which a far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the holy book outside the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital, which also exacerbated tensions with Turkey.
Since then, the police in Stockholm said they had rejected two other requests to protest by burning Qurans and that Sweden’s security apparatus had expressed worries that such acts would raise security concerns and pose a threat to embassies abroad.
Sweden’s NATO bid in jeopardy?
The event could make it harder for Sweden to convince Turkey to accept its request for NATO membership. Sweden shouldn't join the alliance, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in response to a prior Quran burning.
Turkey has held up Sweden’s application for NATO membership, accusing the Nordic nation of harboring people it considers “terrorists” and demanding their extradition.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson did not comment on whether the latest stunt would further damage relations with Turkey and threaten NATO membership.
“It’s legal but not appropriate,” he said at a press conference on Wednesday, adding it was up to the police to make decisions on Quran burnings.
Sweden’s NATO membership application – submitted a year ago along with Finland as the Russian war against Ukraine raged – is being blocked by alliance members Turkey and Hungary. New members must be approved unanimously by all existing NATO members.
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor -in-Chief of the Journal of America. Email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
Putin joins global condemnation of Quran burning in Sweden
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized Western countries that allow the burning of the Quran on grounds of free speech, saying such acts are criminalized by Russia.
Putin made the remarks during a meeting with Muslims at the Juma Mosque in Dagestan's Derbent on Wednesday, where he was given a copy of the Quran as a gift. He expressed criticism towards Western nations that do not consider Quran burning a crime, emphasizing that Russia penalizes such actions.
"The Quran is sacred for Muslims and should be sacred for others," Putin was quoted by the Turkish Anadolu Agency as saying. He expressed gratitude for the gift and stated: "I will always abide by these rules.”
Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers condemned, on Thursday, burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden's capital, Stockholm, Anadolu Agency reported.
The State Duma, lower chamber of the Russian Parliament, adopted a statement, denouncing the Sweden authorities' authorization for such actions.
The Members of Parliament particularly emphasized that the religious feelings of Muslim people were hurt on the first day of one of the two main Muslim holidays – Eid Al-Adha, or the Feast of Sacrifice.
"The deputies of the State Duma strongly condemn another vandalism action approved by the Swedish authorities and urge the officials to take measures to prevent violations of the rights and insults to the religious feelings of Muslims," the statement said.
The OIC denounces Quran Desecration
The 57-member states Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Sunday denounced the June 28 incident of Quran burning in Sweden and called for collective measures to prevent acts of desecration to the Quran and international law should be used to stop religious hatred.
The statement by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, was issued after an extraordinary meeting in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah called to discuss Wednesday's incident.
The Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said “unfortunately, on the first day of that auspicious occasion, when all Muslims around the world were celebrating the Eid, a despicable act of desecration of a copy of Holy Qur’an was committed outside the central mosque in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden”.
The OIC Secretary-General also stressed the need to send a clear message that acts of desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’an and insults against our honored Prophet Muhammad were not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents. “We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”
Emphasizing adherence to the UN Charter, the OIC highlighted the importance of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms on a global scale.
Outrage in the Muslim countries
The burning of a Quran outside the main mosque in Sweden on the Eid al-Adha sparked outrage Thursday in several Muslim countries with widespread condemnations of Sweden.
Several hundred people protested outside the Swedish Embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, at the urging of Muqtada al-Sadr, a populist cleric who called on the Iraqi government to break off diplomatic relations with Sweden, which he called hostile to Islam.
The crowd became increasingly angry, scaling the wall surrounding the compound and pushing through an external gate, according to the New York Times. There was no sign that Iraqi diplomatic police forces attempted to stop them. The protesters did not enter the embassy itself, which was closed for the Islamic holiday, and eventually left. Mr. Sadr called for larger protests after prayers on Friday.
Morocco recalled its ambassador to Sweden for an indefinite period to protest the Quran burning, the state news agency said. Morocco's foreign ministry also summoned Sweden's charge' d'affaires in Rabat and expressed the kingdom's "strong condemnation of this attack and its rejection of this unacceptable act", the state news agency said.
Abdus Sattar Ghazali is the Editor -in-Chief of the Journal of America. Email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com
Read Also Top Swedish court approves Quran burning
|
Published since July 2008 |
Your donation
is tax deductable.
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
Special Correspondent
Maryam Turab
