Protester burns Koran close to Sweden mosque on Eid vacation

A person has torn up and burned a Koran outdoors Stockholm’s central mosque, an occasion that dangers angering Turkey as Sweden bids to affix NATO, after Swedish police granted permission for the protest to happen.

Police later arrested and charged the person with agitation in opposition to an ethnic or nationwide group.

A collection of demonstrations in Sweden in opposition to Islam and for Kurdish rights have offended Turkey, whose backing Sweden wants to realize entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

Sweden sought NATO membership following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine final 12 months.

However alliance member Turkey has held up the method, accusing Sweden of harbouring folks it considers terrorists and demanding their extradition.

Turkish Overseas Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the act in a tweet, including that it was unacceptable to permit anti-Islam protests within the identify of freedom of expression.

Burning of spiritual texts is “disrespectful and hurtful,” the deputy spokesman for the US State Division advised reporters in a day by day briefing.

“What could be authorized is definitely not essentially acceptable,” Vedant Patel mentioned.

However he continued to induce Turkey and Hungary to ratify the NATO accession protocol of Sweden at once.

“We consider Sweden has fulfilled its commitments beneath the trilateral memorandum.”

About 200 onlookers witnessed one of many two protesters tearing up pages of a replica of the Koran and wiping his footwear with it earlier than placing bacon in it and setting the guide on fireplace, whereas the opposite spoke right into a megaphone.

A few of these current shouted “God is Nice” in Arabic to protest in opposition to the burning, and one man was detained by police after he tried to throw a rock.

A supporter of the protest shouted “let it burn” because the holy guide caught fireplace.

Whereas Swedish police have rejected a number of current purposes for anti-Koran demonstrations, courts have overruled these selections, saying they infringed on freedom of speech.

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson advised a press convention on Wednesday he wouldn’t speculate about how the protest may have an effect on Sweden’s NATO course of.

“It is authorized however not acceptable,” he mentioned, including that it was as much as the police to make selections on Koran burnings.

Representatives of the mosque have been upset by the police choice to grant permission for the protest on the Muslim vacation of Eid al-Adha, mosque director and Imam Mahmoud Khalfi mentioned on Wednesday.

“The mosque advised to the police to at the least divert the demonstration to a different location, which is feasible by regulation, however they selected not to take action,” Khalfi mentioned in an announcement.

As much as 10,000 guests attend Stockholm’s mosque for Eid celebrations yearly, in accordance with Khalfi.

Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO utility after a Danish politician burned a replica of the Koran close to the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

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