Baptist churches in Türkiye condemn Quran burning in Sweden

IZMIR, Türkiye

A group representing a prominent Christian denomination in Türkiye on Wednesday condemned the burning of a copy of Islam’s holy book the Quran in Stockholm, the Swedish capital.

"I consider the burning of the Quran in Sweden an act to provoke and humiliate the Muslim world. We do not approve of this act, we condemn it in the strongest possible terms,” Pastor Ertan Cevik, head of the Protestant Baptist Churches Association of Türkiye, told reporters in the western Izmir province.

Underlining the importance of peaceful coexistence, he said such an attack, no matter what faith it seeks to harm, is “purely provocation.”

“Many books were burned and destroyed in medieval Europe, and at the same time, many Jewish books were burned in the streets during the Nazi era,” he added.

Stressing that Christians are very upset about this provocation in Sweden, he said that they find it very wrong that it was allowed.

“This provocative act has stirred up outrage in terms of all faiths... We condemn (such acts) because they are disrespectful to democracy and human rights and beliefs,” he added.

Praising Türkiye's atmosphere of tolerance, he said that during President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 20 years leading the Turkish government, he has done his best for all faith groups to live in peace.

On Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, an extreme-right Danish politician, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, under police protection and with permission from the authorities, drawing a wave of condemnations from across the Arab and Islamic worlds.