On Monday, the Dutch leader of the far-right group, Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA), destroyed a copy of the Quran in the Netherlands before setting it on fire. This came days after a copy of the Quran was burnt in Sweden during the protest against Turkey on January 21.
The video of the said incident went viral over the internet in which the Dutch leader Edwin Wagensveld could be seen tearing apart the pages of the Quran. In the video, he stated that he had attained permission from the city for executing the destruction of the Quran. “Soon, there will be registrations for similar actions in several cities, time to answer disrespect from Islam with disrespect,” the Dutch leader said as he tore the pages of the Quran on January 22.
The leader of the Dutch anti-Islamic organization #PEGIDA, Edwin Wagensveld, has torn out pages of the #Quran right in front of the police in The Hague.
— TVisCOOL! 📺 www.tviscool.com (@TVisCOOLUK) January 23, 2023
Another brave act, testing the limits of free speech against a hostile religion. pic.twitter.com/YdFNalDXaf
Edwin Wagensveld threw the pages on the floor and added, “After having a nice bite to eat and a drink with our group, it was then time to burn the Quran’s remains.” The video footage then shows the Quran and its torn-out pages burning in a fire in a frying pan on the floor.
“People who know and follow us know that we never give up, we do not let ourselves be intimidated by violence and death threats,” he said.
Dutch leader of far-right group PEGIDA has desecrated the Quran.
— Robert Carter (@Bob_cart124) January 23, 2023
Edwin Wagensveld’s destruction of Islam’s holiest book is the 2nd such European Islamophobic incident this week.
He claimed he was given permission by local authorities.#Holland #Quran pic.twitter.com/SNHlixoZ9g
The Dutch leader reiterated that he had attained permission for executing the ‘destruction of the Quran’. Further, a secondary Instagram post on the leader’s account revealed a document signed by The Hague Mayor Jan van Zanen permitting him to use “objects” in his protest but preventing him from burning them due to public safety concerns.
“The right to protest and the right to freedom of expression are constitutionally and treaty-protected human rights and freedoms. In principle burning objects is not permitted, because this can cause danger,” the letter said.
Reports mention that Wagensveld was held by police two months ago for insulting Prophet Muhammad using a megaphone. Based on the facts of the case, the prosecutor’s office determined that Wagensveld’s comments could be regarded as an insult to Islam. However, it was finally determined that he had not committed a crime and hence could not be charged for the act.
Wagensveld had previously been held for failing to follow protest restrictions and warnings in connection with a planned event to burn a copy of the Quran. According to a statement from the city of The Hague, the PEGIDA organization planned to burn the Quran besides the temporary Dutch Parliament building, but the event was canceled because the demonstrators wanted to use the Quran in a “provocative” fashion.
Reportedly, Turkey condemned the incident of tearing the pages of the Quran. “We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack of an anti-Islamic person in The Hague, Netherlands, on January 22, targeting our holy book, the Holy Quran. This despicable act, which insults our sacred values and includes a hate crime, this time in the Netherlands after Sweden, is a clear declaration that Islamophobia, discrimination, and xenophobia know no bounds in Europe,” a statement by Turkey read.
Earlier today, massive protests erupted in several countries including Yemen, Iraq, Jordan, and Turkey days after a copy of the Quran was reportedly burnt in Sweden during protests against Turkey outside Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden. The protesters outside the Swedish Embassy in Turkey, Yemen, burnt the national flag of Sweden and strongly condemned the incident of burning the Quran.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered on the streets of Yemen and Turkey and raised slogans against Sweden. They also have called for a boycott of all the Swedish brands like H&M, furniture brand IKEA, Skype, Volvo, Ericsson, Nordea, and more. The Quran was burnt by Rasmus Paludan, a politician from the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party.
