WASHINGTON

The US State Department on Thursday condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran in Sweden but said issuing a permit for the demonstration supports freedom of expression. 

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at his press briefing that the US is "deeply concerned by the act," but supports freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly as elements of democracy.

"We believe that demonstration creates an environment of fear that will impact the ability of Muslims and members of other religious minority groups from freely exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in Sweden," said Miller.

"We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstration's actions," he added.

Miller also concluded that "we can both believe that people have a right to commit these acts and believe that they are deplorable at the same time".

On Wednesday, a person identified as Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Muslim holy book under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque.

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

The “crime” of burning a Quran copy elicited widespread condemnation from the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania.