Stockholm: Thousands of protestors gathered in central Stockholm to protest against the burning of the Quran in Sweden.
The gathering took place on a square near a mosque where an individual set a copy of the Quran ablaze on June 28, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the Swedish Police, Sunday’s protest gathered around 3,000 participants, Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper reported.
Mustafa Issa, Chairman of the United Islamic Associations of Sweden that organized the protest, told DN that the burning of the Quran is hate speech that should not be allowed.
Last week Iran summoned Sweden’s charge d’affaires over the burning of a copy of the holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm.
Condemning the desecration of the Quran, Iran described it as an ‘insult to the most sacred Islamic sanctities’.
“While Muslims are performing the Haj, … insulting their sanctities merely serves the path of spreading hatred and violence, exploiting the principle of freedom of expression,” read a statement by the ministry.
The Swedish diplomat stated that he opposes any form of Islamophobia, saying he will convey Tehran’s protest to Stockholm.
A person identified as Salwan Momika on Wednesday, said to be an Iraqi national burned a copy of the Quran outside the central mosque of Stockholm. The move was authorized by a Swedish court.
The act has elicited widespread condemnation from the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania.
