Condemnations continued to pour in from across the Arab and Islamic worlds over the burning of a copy of the Quran, in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
Türkiye has earlier strongly condemned the burning of the Quran in front of its embassy in Stockholm. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden today, despite our repeated warnings earlier," a statement by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. "Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of 'freedom of expression' is completely unacceptable. This is an outright hate crime."
Saudi Arabia condemned the Swedish authorities for allowing the far-right politician to burn the Quran. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry affirmed “the kingdom’s firm position calling for the importance of spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance and coexistence, and rejecting hatred and extremism.”
Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah also condemned the Quran burning, saying the incident "hurts Muslims' sentiments across the world and marks serious provocation.”
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) also condemned the incident and reiterated “its rejection of all practices aimed at destabilizing security and stability in contravention of human and moral values and principles.” The UAE renewed its call to renounce hate speech and violence and underscored the need to respect religious symbols and avoid inciting hatred by insulting religions.
Earlier, Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: "Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate." “Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act. I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm today,” he said.
