We condemn the failure to take action to prevent encroachment on Islamic sanctities

The Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and dissatisfaction with the failure to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of transgression against Islamic sanctities, the latest of which was what an extremist group in Denmark burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an and raised slogans of hatred and racism against Islam and Muslims, in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq in the capital, Copenhagen.

The Ministry expressed the Kingdom’s condemnation in the strongest terms of these acts calling for hatred and violence between religions, warning at the same time against repeating these provocative acts to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world, which are a flagrant violation of all international laws and norms.

Yesterday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the repeated and irresponsible actions of the Swedish authorities by granting some extremists official permits to burn and desecrate copies of the Holy Quran, in an act that is a systematic provocation of the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world.

The Foreign Ministry summoned the Chargé d’Affaires of the Swedish Embassy in the Kingdom to hand him a protest note, including the Kingdom’s request to the Swedish authorities to take all necessary and immediate measures to stop these disgraceful acts, which violate all religious teachings, international laws and norms, stressing the Kingdom’s categorical rejection of all these acts that fuel hatred between religions and limit dialogue between peoples.

Condemned reactions

It is noteworthy that the first copy of the Quran was burned in January by the right-wing Swedish-Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan to denounce Sweden’s request to join NATO and negotiate with Turkey for this purpose.

On June 28, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, Silwan Momica, burned pages from a copy of the Qur’an in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on Eid al-Adha.

The two incidents sparked condemning reactions in the Islamic world.