Burc Eruygur
01 February 2023•Update: 02 February 2023
ISTANBUL
The European Muslim Forum (EMF) on Wednesday condemned the recent incidents of burning copies of the Quran in Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands, acts which have drawn widespread outcry from Türkiye and others in the Muslim world.
Addressing a press conference in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul, Abdul-Wakhed Niyazov, head of the organization formed in 2018 and registered in France according to its website, said some elements in Europe intend to create a "second battlefield" in the continent.
“European Muslims are voicing their presence, and their role in Europe is growing. These provocations are trying to diminish their role in Europe,” Niyazov said.
He said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the most vocal in condemning the desecration of the holy book, adding: "We hope other countries would also react. Most did condemn these acts but they were not effective."
“If the Muslim world reacted and supported Türkiye, then this issue would have been resolved quickly,” he added.
Niyazov said the European system stands behind such acts, but not behind the people who undertake such actions, adding that the Swedish, Danish, and Dutch governments are responsible.
“In many European countries, anti-Semitism is regarded as a crime but Islamophobia comes under 'freedom of speech'. This is double standard,” he said, noting that this “must change.”
“We are against the burning of any religious book. I can’t imagine a Muslim conducting such an act. We, as Muslims, are always going to be against such acts of desecration,” he added.
Rasmus Paludan, an extremist Swedish-Danish politician, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 21, with both police protection and permission from the Swedish authorities.
The following week, Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in Denmark on Jan. 27, and announced he would burn a copy of the holy Muslim book every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.
Meanwhile, Edwin Wagensveld, far-right Dutch politician and leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida, tore pages of the Quran which were later burned in The Hague on Jan. 23.
