The burning of the Qur’an recently in front of a mosque in Stockholm, Sweden, has been strongly condemned by the European Union as “a clear act of provocation.”
The EU stressed that “manifestations of racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance” have no place in Europe in a statement released on Saturday, calling the act “offensive, disrespectful,” and saying it does not represent the views of the union.
It continued by stating that the EU upholds freedom of expression and freedom of religion both within its member states and globally.
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The statement also emphasized that “it is now important to unite in support of mutual respect and understanding in order to stop any further escalation.”
Additionally, it was mentioned that the incident was seen as being even more offensive because it occurred when Muslims were celebrating Eid Al-Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice.
The Swedish embassy was stormed in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, which was also denounced by the EU, according to the statement.
In front of Stockholm’s largest mosque on Wednesday, a 37-year-old Iraqi man tore up the Qur’an before setting several pages on fire. The Swedish police gave permission for and provided protection for the insult to the Muslim holy book.
Muslims all over the world were outraged by the incident, which occurred at the same time as the beginning of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha and the conclusion of the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
For a second day of demonstrations against the Qur’an burning on Friday, thousands of Iraqis gathered close to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, the capital of Iraq.
In opposition to the action, citizens of other Muslim nations also took to the streets.
The executive committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called a special meeting to discuss the ramifications of the sacrilegious act.
In recent years, Sweden has repeatedly allowed Qur’anic burning. A Qur’an was burned in January in Stockholm, close to the Turkish embassy, by a Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist.
