Meeting held in Jeddah Saudia Arabia following the Quran burning in Sweden

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An international outcry over the Quran burning in Sweden has resulted in numerous protests and the summoning of ambassadors by Middle Eastern nations.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which represents 57 nations, declared that future occurrences involving the destruction of the Quran must be avoided by using international law and other coercive measures.

Following the sacred book’s burning and desecration in Sweden, the organization, whose members are mostly Muslims, released the statement on Sunday during an unusual meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha stated, “We must continuously remind the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”

Salwan Momika, an Iraqi refugee from Sweden who is 37 years old, tore up pages of the Islamic holy book and set them on fire last week.

Salwan Momika Quran burning in Sweden
Salwan Momika burning the Quran in Sweden

What’s more hurtful to Muslims all over the world is the fact that the Swedish court allowed Momika to burn the Holy Quran in front of a Mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday, June 28, 2023. Momika also wanted to ban Quran in Sweden.

The Swedish police authorized the protest, citing the country’s constitution which guarantees the right to free speech. However, following the burning, authorities accused Momika of inciting hatred against an ethnic or racial group.

International Uproar on Quran Burning in Sweden

International criticism of the incident outside the Stockholm Central Mosque led to widespread demonstrations in Iraq and the Middle East, where the embassies of Sweden were summoned.

In response to the incident, Iran declared on Sunday that it will not be appointing a new ambassador to Sweden. On Thursday, the nation’s foreign ministry called Sweden’s charge d’affaires to protest what it deemed to be an insult to the most revered Islamic sanctuaries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted: “Although administrative procedures to appoint a new ambassador to Sweden have ended, the process of dispatching them has been delayed due to the Swedish government’s issuance of a permit to desecrate the Holy Quran.”

The Swedish police said that even though the Iraqi refugee’s protest “may have foreign policy consequences,” the application should not be turned down due to security concerns.

The United States denounced the burning as well, but they emphasized that allowing the protest to take place promoted freedom of expression.

While this is happening, the burning was strongly condemned by Turkey. Following the burning of a copy of the Quran close to the Turkish embassy in Stockholm by a Danish far-right politician in late January, Ankara put a halt to discussions with Sweden over its NATO application.

Conclusion

Sweden continues to receive heavy criticism because of this heinous act. However, this isn’t the only time, earlier this year, several Qurans were burnt in Norway and in Sweden. If international law is established, then this sort of hatred towards religion might come to a pause.

Sweden has a few numbers of Muslims living within the country. The Quran burning in Sweden isn’t new, as this sort of action has happened in the past.

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