CAIRO: The Council of the Arab League, at the level of foreign ministers, has condemned, in the strongest terms, the heinous crime of burning copies of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden.
The incident, which took place on Wednesday, has been condemned by the Council as an act that promotes hatred, violence, and deeply offends the sentiments of over two billion Muslims worldwide.
Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported the Council’s statement, emphasising the urgent need to address such dangerous acts of hatred that incite violence and insult religious beliefs.
“They urged the international community to recognise these behaviours as hate crimes and incitement, subject to legal sanctions,” it added.
On Wednesday, a Swedish citizen of Iraqi origin had reportedly torn up a copy of the Quran and burned it in front of a Stockholm mosque during a demonstration authorised by the Swedish authorities.
The incident occurred as Muslims around the world marked the Eid al-Adha holiday. Earlier, in January, a right-wing extremist had burned a copy of the Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, triggering outrage in the Muslim world.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned the Swedish ambassador over the burning of the Quran, as Muslims worldwide marked the festival of Eid al-Adha, reported Xinhua.
The ministry voiced its strong protest against the Swedish government’s permission for an extremist to burn a copy of the Quran in Stockholm, the ministry said in a statement. It also called on the Swedish government to take measures to stop the repeated insults to the Quran, the statement added.
In Beirut, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry has issued its protest over the act.
“This act, which is repeated for the second time, constitutes an assault on the sanctities of Muslims and a provocation to their feelings.
“Such an act, which is against the values of tolerance and co-existence between religions and civilisations, fuels hatred and breeds violence, so it cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression,” it said.
In Khartoum, the Sudan Foreign Affairs Ministry has also released a statement.
“The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses strong condemnation of tearing and burning of the holy Quran by an extremist in the Swedish capital, Stockholm,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry described the incident as “a disgraceful and provocative act to Muslims around the world on the occasion of Eid al-Adha”.
“This act contradicts the values of respect for others and their sanctities, and fuels hatred among followers of divine religions,” the statement added. – BERNAMA-WAM-XINHUA
