The Swedish government on Sunday in a statement condemned the burning of the holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm and described it as an “Islamophobic act”.
“We condemn the Quran burning in Stockholm in the strongest terms, and this hateful act does not represent the views of the Swedish government,” the statement said.
The statement from the Swedish Foreign Ministry further adds, “Burning Quran or any other holy scripture is an insulting and impolite act clearly aimed at inciting public opinion. “Racism, homophobia and other acts of intolerance have no place in Sweden or Europe.”
Swedish Foreign Ministry stated Stockholm supports freedom of speech and peaceful gathering based on the constitution.
The statement comes after a majority of Islamic countries reacted strongly to the burning of the Quran and inserted political pressure on the Swedish government.
Furthermore, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in a statement has called for a collective action by the Muslim countries based on international laws.
The OIC urged member states to “take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the Quran”, according to a statement released after the “extraordinary” meeting.
On Wednesday, June 28, an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the Muslim holy book and set several pages on fire outside Stockholm’s main mosque, which prompted massive condemnations worldwide, Aljazeera reported.
Stockholm police granted permission to a small group of protestors to burn the holy Quran last Wednesday, according to sources. The permission was granted a week after that a court in Sweden rejected the request of banning such protests and gatherings.
