Afghan Taliban authorities condemn Sweden Koran burning

Afghanistan's Taliban government reacted angrily Thursday to Swedish authorities allowing a man to burn a copy of the Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm, calling it "utter contempt towards this noble religion".

Taliban authorities enforce a strict interpretation of the Koran and Islamic law, and blasphemous acts are punishable by death.

Swedish police granted permission Wednesday for a man to set fire to pages of the Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque, drawing condemnation from many Muslims around the world.

Police had allowed the protest in line with free-speech protections, but also opened an investigation into the man, originally from Iraq, for "agitation against an ethnic group".

Afghanistan's foreign ministry said it condemned the act "in the strongest terms".

"Permission for such despicable acts in front of a mosque on one of the holiest days of Islam shows nothing more than the utter contempt towards this noble religion and its close to two billion adherents by the Swedish authorities," it said in a statement.

"We call on all Muslim states and organizations... to take all appropriate measures in response to such odious acts across the world."

Since seizing power in August 2021, Afghanistan's Taliban rulers have imposed an austere version of Islam on the country, largely excluding women from public life.

Stockholm is a major aid contributor to Kabul through its Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has been present in the country for more than 40 years.




AFP