ANKARA, Jun 29 (NNN-XINHUA) – Türkiye yesterday condemned the burning of the Muslim holy Quran in Sweden, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, Islam’s major religious festival.
“I condemn the vile action in Sweden against our holy book, Quran, on the first day of the Eid al-Adha,” Turkish Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan, wrote on Twitter.
“It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Muslim actions under the pretext of freedom of expression,” he said.
“To turn a blind eye to such atrocious acts is to be a partner in crime,” he added.
In the Swedish capital, Stockholm, a person identified as Salwan Momika of Iraqi origin, burned the Quran under police protection, in front of the Stockholm Mosque yesterday, according to Turkish media reports.
Momika, who came in front of the Stockholm Mosque in the Medbargareplatsen square, threw the Quran on the ground in front of the mosque, stepped on it, uttered insulting words against Islam and set it on fire, despite the reaction of the people around, the media reports.
Yesterday’s burning of a copy of the Quran came at a time when Sweden was seeking Türkiye’s backing to join NATO.
The bid has still been blocked by the Turkish government, which accuses Sweden of supporting anti-Türkiye groups.
The Nordic state pledged to support Türkiye’s fight against terrorism and agreed to address Ankara’s pending deportation or extradition requests for “terror” suspects. But the Turkish parliament has not ratified their membership yet.– NNN-XINHUA
