Sweden mulling ban on Quran desecration

STOCKHOLM

Sweden is considering a ban on desecrating the Muslim holy book after a recent string of Quran burnings in the country, its justice minister said earlier this week.

According to local daily Aftonbladet, Gunnar Strommer said on Thursday that authorities are reviewing whether a change in the related ordinances would be needed to bring such acts to a halt.

Last month, a person identified as Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Quran under police protection in front of Stockholm Mosque in Sweden.

His provocative act was timed to coincide with Eid al-Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

It elicited widespread condemnations from across the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania.

In January, a far-right politician also set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden.

Strommer said such acts pose a threat to Sweden's national security due to the harm they cause to its relations with the Islamic world and their role in provoking terrorist attacks against the country.

"Against that background, it is reasonable to review the legal situation," he said.