In yet another incident of the burning of the Muslim holy book Quran in Sweden, two men have again alighted the book outside the parliament in Stockholm on Monday. According to local media reports, two men-- Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem-- initially "kicked" the holy book and then set its pages on fire before slamming it shut. The duo involved in today's incident were the same who made similar mischief outside Stockholm’s main mosque in late June.
The Quran is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organised into 114 chapters, which consist of verses.
Shockingly, the police permitted a protest outside parliament on Monday, wherein the agitated protestors reportedly planned to burn the Muslim holy book. Speaking to local media outlets, the protestors echoed that they want to ban the Quran in their country. "I will burn it many times until you ban it," Najem told Expressen newspaper.
Earlier in the third week of July, the far-right group burned the holy book and live-streamed the act on social media platforms. Subsequently, thousands of protestors in Baghdad attempted to reach the Danish embassy.
Iran calls it a "despicable attack"
In a similar attempt, protesters in the Yemeni capital Sanaa gathered and voiced anger at both Denmark and Sweden for allowing such acts. Calling it a "despicable attack" on the Quran, Turkey condemned the act while Algeria summoned the Danish ambassador and Swedish charge d'affaires to rebuke the actions.
"The latest incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in front of an Iraqi Embassy in Denmark has left Muslims all over the world deeply anguished," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a tweet.
"Burning of holy texts and other religious symbols is a shameful act that disrespects the religion of others," Denmark’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "It is a provocative act that hurts many people and creates a division between different religions and cultures." It added, however, that “freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected.”
While many countries around the world still have laws criminalizing blasphemy, Sweden and Denmark do not, and the burning of holy texts is not specifically prohibited by law.
