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Sweden’s prime minister has condemned the weekend burning of a Quran in Stockholm as “deeply disrespectful,” raising tensions with Turkey as the Nordic country courted Ankara over its NATO bid.
Rasmus Paludan, a far-right politician in Sweden’s capital, set fire to a copy of the Muslim holy book on Saturday in front of Turkey’s embassy.
Furious that Paludan had been allowed to carry out the protest by Swedish police, Ankara cancelled a visit by Sweden’s defense minister and summoned Stockholm’s ambassador.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson tweeted late on Saturday. But what is legal is not always appropriate. Burning books that are sacred to many people is a deeply disrespectful act.”
I’d like to express my condolences to all Muslims who have been offended by what happened in Stockholm today.”
Paludan’s protest has strained relations even further as Stockholm attempts to persuade NATO member Turkey to approve Sweden and Finland’s membership in the military alliance.
Sweden’s bid has been stalled due to Ankara’s demands that Stockholm hand over Kurdish activists and prohibit rallies criticizing Turkey’s leadership.
The burning of the Quran on Saturday reportedly shocked many Muslim nations.
Morocco expressed shock at the decision to permit it to occur “in front of the Swedish forces of order,” saying it was “astonished” by the decision.
Additionally condemning it were the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, as well as Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The act of blasphemy against the sacred book has injured and damaged religious tolerance, according to Jakarta, which also said that “freedom of expression must be used responsibly.”
The Swedish consulate in Istanbul was surrounded by dozens of demonstrators late on Saturday, who burned the Swedish flag and demanded that Ankara break diplomatic ties with Stockholm.
When he embarked on a tour of the nation and openly burnt copies of the Quran, Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist who has already been found guilty of using racist slurs, incited unrest in Sweden last year.
