Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday blasted Sweden after a court in the country allowed protesters to burn pages from a copy of the Quran. While angrily condemning the Nordic nation, Erdogan said, “We will eventually teach the arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought.” He further condemned the incident “in the strongest possible terms” in a televised address.
Earlier, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also condemned the move in a statement released on Twitter. Fidan wrote, “I curse the despicable act committed against our Holy Book, the Holy Quran, on the first day of Eid al-Adha.”
The deteriorating ties with Turkey could further stall Sweden’s bid for joining NATO.
Quran burnt in front of Stockholm’s central mosque
Reuters reported that a protester tore up and burnt a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, the day which marked the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holidays.
Swedish police had earlier denied the permission to hold anti-Quran demonstrations outside the mosque; however, the decision was later overturned by a Swedish appeals court citing freedom of expression.
Swedish police later charged the man who burnt Quran with violence against an ethnic or national group.
Iraqi protesters breach the Swedish embassy
A group of Iraqi protesters breached the Swedish embassy in Baghdad for a brief period on Thursday in response to the burning of the Quran by an Iraqi named Momika.
Watch: Sweden permits Quran burning protests
The demonstrators, who were supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, entered the embassy building and remained inside for approximately 15 minutes before leaving peacefully when security forces arrived.
Incident triggers massive uproar in Muslim world
The incident in Sweden has garnered condemnation from several Muslim-majority countries. Morocco and Jordan have responded by recalling their ambassadors from Stockholm, with Morocco also summoning Sweden’s charge d’affaires in Rabat.
The Iraqi government denounced the incident by saying it was “a reflection of a hateful aggressive spirit that has nothing to do with freedom of expression.” Iran echoed Iraq’s criticism, labelling the act as provocative and unacceptable. Egypt described it as a shameful act, particularly offensive during the observance of Eid al-Adha.
Saudi Arabia, where millions of worshippers are currently participating in the annual Hajj pilgrimage, stated that such hateful and repeated acts cannot be justified and should not be tolerated.
