On January 21, a copy of Quran was reportedly burnt in Sweden during protests against Turkey outside Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. Three different protests were happening in the city. One was against Turkey, the second was in support of Kurds, and the third was against Sweden’s bid to join North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Following the Quran burning incident, sharp reactions came from Turkey and Pakistan. All three protests had permission from the Sweden police.
Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, was the one who burnt the copy of the Quran. Notably, he has burnt copies in the past as well. Paludan has Swedish citizenship. Reuters report suggests that in the police permit he obtained, it was mentioned that his rally was against Islam and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s attempt to influence freedom of expression in Sweden.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom expressed dismay over the incident and said, “Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish Government, or myself, support the opinions expressed.” Earlier, Turkey had summoned the Swedish ambassador urging him to act against the protests.
Turkey, Pakistan and others condemned Quran burning
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book … Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable.”
Sweden’s defence minister’s visit to Turkey was cancelled after the incident. In a statement, Turkey said the visit was cancelled because of an inability to control the protests.
As per Pakistan’s daily Dawn, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi and OIC secretary general have condemned Quran burning incident.
Apart from Pakistan and Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait have issued statements condemning the incident. In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Minister said, “Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism.”
In Istanbul and several other countries, Swedish flags were burnt in protest of the Quran burning incident.
Protest against joining NATO
Reportedly, Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO after Russia initiated military action against Ukraine. The proposal is pending as it requires all 30 members’ approval. Turkey, a member of NATO, has called for a clearer stance against Kurdish militants and terrorists for approval.
In 2022, Sweden and Finland signed a three-way agreement with Turkey to ensure it approves their membership in NATO. Though Sweden said it had fulfilled its parts of the memorandum, Turkey is demanding more, including the extradition of 130 individuals that Ankara has deemed as terrorists.
A large group of people in Sweden are against joining NATO. They held a protest to show support for the Kurds. A spokesperson for Alliance Against NATO, Thomas Pettersson, said, “We will continue our opposition to the Swedish NATO application.”
Past incidents of Quran burning and aftermath
There have been several such incidents in the past of Quran burning that led to violence from pro-Islamic groups. In April 2022, the frenzied mob went on a rampage in the Swedish town of Linköping after Danish anti-immigration party Stram Kurs announced to burn a copy of the Quran the following day.
Amidst the ‘Allahu Akbar’ chants, the masked men attacked police vehicles and set them ablaze. According to independent researcher Hugo Kamman, a total of 4 police officers were injured during the attack. Two people have been arrested so far in connection to the case.
In July 2022, two women rammed into an anti-Islamic group leader’s vehicle, which turned upside down. The video had gone viral on social media platforms. As per reports, the woman allegedly attacked the man, identified as Lars Thorsen, after he burnt copies of the Quran. The incident occurred around 3 PM when Thorsen was driving toward Norway’s capital, Oslo, on July 2. Thorsen is the leader of the anti-Islamisation group ‘Stop the Islamisation of Norway’ (SIAN).
