Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq condemn burning of Koran in Sweden

A number of Arab states have sharply criticized right-wing extremists for their act of burning the Koran in Sweden, according to Sky News Arabia, Report informs referring to TASS.

“We strongly condemn the burning of the Koran in Sweden. Such actions are aimed only at inciting hatred and promoting violence,” the Bahraini Foreign Ministry said.

The Saudi leadership noted that “supporters of Rasmus Paludan, head of Denmark’s far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, are deliberately provoking Muslims and desecrating their sacred symbols.”

Jordanian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Haitham Abu Al-Foul stressed that “these actions are contrary to freedom of religion and belief, and also violate the principles of peaceful coexistence of peoples.” He called on the international community to join forces to combat the ideas of extremism and intolerance and to prevent insults on religious grounds.

In turn, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the charge d’affaires of Sweden in Baghdad and strongly protested to the Swedish diplomat about the desecration of the Koran. The Iraqi authorities said that “this problem entails serious consequences for relations between Sweden and the Arab-Muslim world.”

On April 14, riots broke out in a number of Swedish cities after it became known that Paludan intended to hold anti-Islamic demonstrations in them - a public burning of the Koran.

The Hard Line Party was founded by Paludan in 2017. He is known for numerous anti-Islamic videos on YouTube. The politician publicly burned the Koran, calling it a tribute to freedom of speech. His party is demanding a ban on Islam and the deportation of all “non-Western asylum seekers” from Denmark.