Saudi Arabia to summon Swedish Chargé d 'affaires against burning of the Quran

Late on Thursday, Saudi Arabia declared that it would summon the acting Swedish ambassador to express its condemnation of Stockholm's permission to hold a gathering, during which the organizers stated their intention to burn a copy of the Quran.

The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a statement that it would summon the Swedish Embassy's acting envoy to the kingdom and deliver a protest memorandum, demanding that the Swedish authorities take all necessary immediate actions to stop these abhorrent acts, which contradict all religious teachings, international laws, and conventions.

Under the protection of the Swedish police, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, Slaone Momika, repeatedly stepped on the Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday. However, he left the location without burning any pages, as he had done less than a month ago. A crowd gathered to protest his actions.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry decried "the repeated and irresponsible actions by the Swedish authorities in granting official permits to some extremists, allowing them to burn and desecrate copies of the Holy Quran, an intentional act of provocation against the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world."

The ministry emphasized the kingdom's unequivocal rejection of all such actions that fuel hatred among religions and hinder dialogue among peoples.

The announcement of Sweden allowing the demonstration sparked protests in Iraq, which included the burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, leading to diplomatic tensions that resulted in the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Baghdad and the recall of the Iraqi Chargé d'affaires in Stockholm.

Furthermore, the Iraqi authorities suspended the work permit of the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson on Iraqi soil due to the same issue.

On Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also condemned the recent gathering in Stockholm, considering it "another provocative act... that cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression or opinion."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AFP