Swedish authorities approved a small Quran-burning demonstration outside a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023. ARCHIVE

The UAE summoned the Swedish ambassador on Thursday (June 29) to protest against the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The ministry summoned Sweden’s Ambassador to the UAE Liselott Andersson to express the UAE's “strong protest and condemnation of the Swedish government allowing extremists to burn copies of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.” The UAE stressed that Sweden "disregarded its international responsibilities and demonstrated a lack of respect for social values in the matter." The UAE emphasized the importance of monitoring hate speech and expressions of racism, while rejecting the use of freedom of expression to justify what it described as “heinous acts”. Ayesha Bin Suwaidan Al Suwaidi, Director of the European Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, delivered the letter of protest to the ambassador. The note underscored that hate speech and extremism can contribute to the outbreak, escalation and recurrence of conflict worldwide. The letter also stressed the need to “respect religious symbols and avoid incitement and polarisation at a time when the international community needs to work together to reaffirm a commitment to upholding the universal principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence”. Sweden received a backlash from the Muslim community when its authorities approved a small Quran-burning demonstration outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Adha. At least one person took part in the protest, setting fire to a copy of Islam's holy book outside Stockholm's central mosque. Swedish police said that the decision to permit the protest was made in accordance with the right of freedom of speech, adding that the demonstration did not pose an immediate security risk. However, the burning of the holy Quran was condemned by many Muslim-majority countries. Saudi Arabia condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran. The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Ablbudaiwi, called on Swedish authorities to “take immediate action to prevent these actions that fuel hatred and extremism. The official held Swedish authorities responsible for all reactions resulting from the “heinous and inciting acts”. ‘’Such irresponsible acts, which provoke and inflame the feelings of Muslims in the whole world and in these blessed days, should be prevented and addressed by all legal and ethical means and with the cooperation of all, to renounce extremism and religious fanaticism”, he said in a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency. The Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) also strongly condemned the burning of the Holy Quran. In a statement by the Secretariat-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al Issa, the secretary-general of the WML and the Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, denounced it as an “absurd and heinous crime.” Dr. Al Issa warned against the dangers of these practices that promote hatred, provoke religious sentiments, and serve only the agendas of extremism. ICA/Expat Media
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