The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) criticized Sweden and Denmark’s response to the repeated Quran desecrations on Monday, because the Swedish chief mentioned the 2 international locations are in discussions a few potential ban on such acts.
The OIC on Monday met to deal with Quran desecrations and voiced “disappointment” with Sweden and Denmark’s response.
Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha known as on each international locations to stop Quran desecration and “expressed his disappointment that no measures were taken in this regard so far”, the 57-member, Jeddah-based physique mentioned.
“It is unfortunate that the concerned authorities claiming freedom of expression continue to provide licenses to repeat these acts contrary to international law, and this leads to a lack of respect for religions,” Taha mentioned.
Ahead of Monday’s OIC assembly, each Sweden and Denmark reached out to attempt to calm tensions.
On Thursday, Taha acquired a telephone name from Sweden’s overseas minister, Tobias Billstrom, who mentioned Stockholm rejects acts that insult the Quran and desires to keep up good relations with OIC members, the group mentioned in an announcement.
On Sunday, Taha acquired a name from Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, who additionally “condemned” insults to the Quran and mentioned his authorities was “studying this issue with great interest”, the OIC mentioned.
Last week, Sweden ordered 15 authorities our bodies together with the armed forces, a number of legislation enforcement companies and the tax workplace to strengthen anti-terrorism efforts.
Denmark, Sweden in touch about potential ban
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson mentioned he was in shut contact together with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen a few potential ban.
“We are in the most serious security situation since World War II, and we know here that both states, state-like actors and individuals can take advantage of the situation,” Kristersson wrote on Instagram on Sunday night.
Earlier, the Danish authorities introduced that it will think about authorized cures to ban Koran burnings in entrance of overseas embassies.
Religions are allowed to be criticized, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen mentioned. “But if you stand in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or in front of the Israeli embassy you burn the Torah scroll, it serves no purpose other than to ridicule.” This, nonetheless, endangers the collective safety of the nation, he mentioned.
Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika, who beforehand got here beneath hearth for desecrating the Quran in Sweden, set the Muslim holy guide on hearth once more, this time in entrance of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm on Monday.
Momika and Salwan Najem stomped on the Muslim holy guide, set its pages ablaze earlier than slamming it shut, as they did at a protest outdoors Stockholm’s fundamental mosque in June – sparking outrage throughout the Middle East.
The duo additionally staged an analogous protest outdoors Iraq’s embassy in Stockholm on July 20, the place they stomped on the spiritual textual content however didn’t burn it.
Swedish police granted a allow for the protest by campaigners hoping to see the Quran banned within the nation.
“I want to protest in front in front of Sweden’s parliament and demand that the Quran be banned,” organizer Najem wrote within the software, which has been seen by AFP, including that he would “burn the Quran there.”
As at earlier protests, Momika and Najem have been the one contributors, with a small group of counter-protesters gathering outdoors the police cordon, in keeping with an AFP reporter on the scene.
Around a dozen counter-protesters held up copies of the Quran, with some waving Iraqi flags, and shouted at Momika, who simply as at earlier occasions wore sun shades and grinned defiantly whereas taunting them.
During the protest, Momika additionally stomped on an image of Shiite Muslim cleric and political chief Moqtada Sadr – whose followers had stormed Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad in response to earlier desecrations. They had began fires throughout the compound the night time earlier than the July protest.
The Iraqi prime minister and the president “vehemently condemned the repeated acts of desecration” of the Quran.
They known as on the international locations the place the assaults came about to take a “firmer position and put an end to these criminal practices.”
“We saw him standing there again and yelling stuff about the Quran and about Islam, playing with the Quran, and honestly it’s all for attention and it’s pretty obvious,” Tamazight El Yaakoubi, an 18-year-old legislation scholar from the Netherlands, instructed AFP.
“Before we came here we were pretty scared, we were like, ‘Quran burned down, why?'” added the Muslim customer.
“But when we came here almost everyone is full of love and everyone is very respectful.”
Sweden has already seen its diplomatic relations with a number of Middle Eastern nations strained over earlier protests involving Quran desecrations.
Swedish police have beforehand pressured they solely grant permits for folks to carry public gatherings and never for the actions carried out through the occasions.
Both earlier protests have led to widespread outrage and condemnations.
Recently, small teams burned copies of the Quran throughout Islamophobic actions in Sweden and Denmark. This led to offended protests and threats in a number of Muslim international locations.
Reactions have been notably robust in Iraq, whose authorities expelled the Swedish ambassador. Earlier, demonstrators in Baghdad broke into the Swedish embassy and set hearth to it.
In Denmark, far-right group Danske Patrioter final week posted a video during which a person is seen desecrating and burning what seems to be the Quran and trampling an Iraqi flag.
The incidents have stoked unrest in Iraq, the place lots of of demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy earlier this month and set fires throughout the compound.
The Danish Refugee Council has mentioned its workplace within the southern Iraqi metropolis of Basra got here beneath “armed attack” in response to the Danske Patrioter video.
Governments throughout the area have additionally expressed their outrage.
Iraq expelled Sweden’s ambassador and Iran mentioned it will not enable a brand new Swedish ambassador into the nation.
Saudi Arabia, dwelling to the Islamic holy cities of Mecca and Medina, has in current weeks summoned Swedish and Danish diplomats to ship protest notes denouncing “disgraceful” acts towards the Quran.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s migration authority introduced final week that it will re-examine Iraqi refugee Momika’s residency standing following his provocative acts.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
