Egypt, UAE, and Saudi Arabia together condemned the burning of the Holy Quran for Muslims in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. Said to be allowed by the Swedish authorities, the incident occurred in front of the Turkish embassy by an extremist.
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed that the Kingdom will always promote values such as dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejecting extremism and hatred. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry also announced on Saturday that this was “a disgraceful act that provokes the feelings of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.”
The UAE then expressed its rejection of all methods designed to undermine security and stability and that go against moral and ethical norms. Last but not least, Turkish officials denounced Swedish authorities for allowing the Quran-burning rally. According to a statement to Gulf News, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated that “tolerating this anti-Islamic act, which attacks Muslims is totally unacceptable. This is blatantly a hate crime.”
Mevlut Cavusoglu, Turkish Foreign Minister, summoned the Swedish ambassador to Ankara after the leader of the far-right Danish party, Rasmus Paludan, burned a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy building in Stockholm. In their defense, the Stockholm Police Department said Paludan had been permitted to hold a demonstration near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on Saturday. Turkey then responded by the cancellation of Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson’s visit to Ankara, which was scheduled to take place on Jan. 27.
Back in 2019, Rasmus Paludan burned a Quran wrapped in bacon in the southern Swedish city of Malmo. This sparked riots and unrest after more than 300 people gathered to protest.