Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi who fled his country to Sweden, burned several pages of the Koran in front of a mosque during a rally sanctioned by authorities on Wednesday.
A 37-year-old Iraqi man burned pages of the Koran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque in a “rally” sanctioned by Swedish police on Wednesday, angering Ankara, which condemned the “unacceptable” act.
The new incident could cloud Swedish prospects for NATO membership, which Turkey is blocking.
The event, which coincided with the Eid al-Adha festival celebrated by Muslims around the world, brought together around a hundred spectators and journalists.
Dressed in brown chinos and a light shirt, Salwan Momika stomped on the Koran several times, slipped pieces of pork into it and burned some pages.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan immediately condemned the incident on Twitter: “It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression.”
Washington joined the criticism, saying it would support Sweden’s NATO membership “as soon as possible”.
Foreign Ministry Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters, “We have always said that burning religious books is disrespectful and offensive.
“Behind the concepts of democracy and freedom is only hate”
The Nordic country is materially sensitive. A demonstration in January in which a Koran was burned in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm had already angered Ankara and the Muslim world, leading to demonstrations and calls to boycott Swedish products.
“It’s crazy, it’s absolutely crazy, it’s just hatred hiding behind the concepts of democracy and freedom,” responded Noah Omran, a 32-year-old artist who came to see the scene.
Earlier, the police announced that they would authorize the “gathering”, deeming the “security risks” involved in burning the Koran “not prohibitive”. But at the end of the day, he announced that he would file a complaint against the organizer, specifically for inciting hatred.
In his request for prior authorization, book-burning organizer Salwan Momika said he wanted to “express (his) opinion about the Quran.” “I will tear up the Koran and burn it,” he wrote.
In February Mr. Momika had made a similar request, which was rejected by the police.
According to an article in Swedish daily Aftonbladet dated April 5, Mr. Momika promised not to embroil the Swedish members of the Atlantic Alliance.
“I don’t want to harm this country that welcomed me and saved my dignity,” he told the newspaper, adding that he wanted to see the Koran banned in Sweden.
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