Stockholm, one person arrested in protests after the first burning of the Koran

Turkey reacts: "Unacceptable Vilification" and Morocco recalls its ambassador for the "offensive and irresponsible" gesture

The first burning of the Koran took place outside the mosque in Stockholm after the authorization of the police following a court ruling.

Around lunchtime, in front of the Medborgarplatsen mosque, in the central district of Sodermalm in Stockholm, a 37-year-old Iraqi citizen, Salwan Momika, set fire to the Muslim holy book, after trampling on it, putting slices of bacon (food banned by Muslims), speaking offensive words against Islam and waving a Swedish flag.

Shortly after the demonstration began, a man was arrested as he was about to throw stones. Around 200 people were present, many of whom protested against the fire in outcry: "The Quran is not in your hands, it is in our hearts - we know it by heart".

The decision came two weeks after the Swedish Court of Appeal ruled that it had overturned the ban on burning the Quran imposed by the police, after a copy of the holy book was set on fire earlier this year, sparking weeks of protests.

The decision to allow today's protest could have serious repercussions on Sweden's possibility of joining NATO g, due to objections from Turkey, which could confirm its opposition.

"I condemn the despicable act committed in Sweden against the Quran, our holy book, on the first day of Eid-al-Adha", the feast of sacrifice celebrated by Muslims all over the world, the Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Twitter. "It is unacceptable to allow these actions under the pretext of freedom of expression, to tolerate such an atrocious act is to be complicit in it," added Fidan

Fahrettin Altun, the director of communications of the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, then rounded up: "Those who seek to become our allies in NATO cannot tolerate or allow destructive behavior by Islamophobic and xenophobic terrorists. Anyone who allows this criminal act is also an accomplice to it"

The Kingdom of Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Sweden and condemned the gesture as "offensive and irresponsible". “The Swedish government has once again authorized a demonstration during which the Koran was burned in front of a Stockholm mosque,” the Moroccan Foreign Ministry regretted.

Editorial Team