Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden

ANKARA, July 21 (SABAH): The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement on the repeated attacks against the Holy Quran in Sweden.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the despicable attack targeting our holy book, the Quran, in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Stockholm,” the statement read.

The statement advised that following the despicable attack on the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on July 12, defining attacks on the Holy Quran as religious hatred.

“We expect Sweden to take measures to deter and prevent this hate crime against the religion of Islam and its billions of believers within the framework of its international responsibilities, especially its obligations at the UN, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the Council of Europe,” the statement said.

“Türkiye is ready to work together with countries where such attacks take place in the areas of Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism and discrimination.”

Iraqi-born Swedish resident Salwan Momika, who had previously burned the Holy Quran in Sweden, desecrated a copy of the Quran, stepping on it and the Iraqi flag in front of Iraq’s embassy in Sweden.

Momika had burned the Holy Quran under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque on June 28, on the first day of Eid al Adha.

Many Muslim countries, including Türkiye, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan, as well as the United States and Russia, have criticised and condemned the incident.