Muslim scholars slam Swedish authorities for allowing burning of copy of Quran on Eid

ANKARA 

A group of Muslim scholars on Wednesday strongly condemned the Swedish authorities for allowing an extremist to burn a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, while under the protection of Stockholm police. 

The extremist's provocative act was deliberately planned to coincide with Muslims around the world celebrating Eid Al-Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals.

The International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) described the act in a statement as "racism and savagery backed by (Swedish) official bodies."

"This is racism, not freedom, and this individual savagery backed by the official bodies must not be passed over in silence," the IUMS stated.

Early on Wednesday, a person identified as Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Quran under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque.

On June 12, a Swedish appeals court upheld a lower court's decision to overturn a ban on Quran burning, ruling that police had no legal grounds to prevent two Quran burning protests earlier this year.

The incident prompted strong condemnation from Türkiye, as Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan stated on Twitter, “I condemn the vile action in Sweden against our Holy Book, Quran, on the first day of the Eid-al-Adha!”

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar