A Muslim refrains from burning the Torah and the Bible in Sweden

A 32-year-old Muslim man in Stockholm, Sweden, retracted his claim of intending to burn the Torah and the Bible on Saturday, explaining that he wanted to expose those who burn sacred books such as the Quran in the Scandinavian country.

The Swedish police granted the man permission to demonstrate in front of the Israeli embassy, a decision that drew condemnation from the Israeli state and various religious organizations.

Ahmed A., the organizer of the protest, told journalists that his intention was to criticize individuals who had burned the Quran in Sweden in recent months, an act that is not prohibited by Swedish law.

The man, a Syrian resident of Sweden, clarified that his intended action was a "response to those who burn the Quran. I want to show that there are limits to freedom of expression that must be taken into account."

He continued, "I want to demonstrate that we should respect each other, as we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah and someone else burns the Bible, and another person burns the Quran, there will be a war here... What I wanted to demonstrate is that it is not a good thing to do."

The protesters dispersed peacefully about 50 meters away from the Israeli embassy on a luxurious street in central Stockholm.

The first copy of the Quran was burned in January by Rasmus Paludan, a Swedish far-right Danish activist, in protest against Sweden's request to join NATO and negotiate with Turkey for that purpose.

On June 28, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden burned a few pages of the Quran in front of the largest mosque in Stockholm during the Eid al-Adha celebrations.

These incidents have sparked a series of condemnations in the Muslim world.

While the Swedish police mentioned that the permission to protest was not officially granted for burning a sacred book, there is no law in Sweden that prohibits the burning of the Quran, Torah, or Bible.

The Swedish government condemned the "offensive" and "anti-Islamic" behavior in January and June but has no plans to change Swedish law, which is more liberal than that of any other country.

On the other hand, the police have the authority to reject a demonstration if it compromises national security or incites acts or speech promoting racial hatred.



AFP