Three men have been taken into custody for their involvement in a violent protest that occurred after a Quran was burned in Sweden.
There was trouble when an activist from Iraq, Salwan Momika, burned a copy of the important Islamic book on Sunday.
Police arrested 10 individuals for causing trouble in public in the city of Malmo.
A lot of cars were set on fire because about a hundred people came together in response to the fire.
On Sunday afternoon, Mr Momika burned a Quran in Varnhemstorget, a busy square in the city. He has disrespectfully damaged the Quran, during a number of protests against Islam, and his actions have made many countries in the Middle East very angry.
A bunch of mad people who were against something fought with the police when they wanted to prevent something from being set on fire.
Police officers said that people threw stones at them, and some protesters even threw electric scooters at their cars.
A lot of police cars were burned in the neighborhood of Rosengard in Malmo. This neighborhood has many immigrants and has had other violent protests before.
“I know that emotions run high during events like this, but we cannot accept disruptions and violent behavior like what happened on Sunday afternoon,” said Petra Stenkula, the commander of the police in Malmo, in an interview with local media.
“It is very unfortunate to see violence and damage happening again at Rosengard. ”
There have been a lot of Quran burnings in Scandinavia this year.
In June, Mr. Momika burned a copy near Stockholm’s main mosque, while Muslims were celebrating a special holiday called Eid al-Adha – a very important festival for Muslims.
The Swedish police allowed Mr. Momika to protest because of their strong belief in free speech. Later, it was found out that the incident was being looked into because it may have caused hatred.
In January, Rasmus Paludan, a politician from a Danish far-right party called Stram Kurs (Hard Line), set fire to a Quran book outside the embassy of Turkey in Stockholm.
Denmark, a nearby country that has experienced several instances of the Quran being burned in public, recently stated its intention to prohibit the public disrespect of sacred books.
Sweden has promised to look into the possibility of making it illegal to burn books as a form of protest in some situations.
Tag: Quran
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Sweden’s Quran-burning amounts to violent demonstrations
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Two men embarked on Quran burning protest outside Sweden’s parliament
Two guys tore up and set fire to the Quran outside the Stockholm parliament today.
In a video that went viral online that Metro has opted not to publish, Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem, who are both of Iraqi heritage, are seen trampling on the book before lighting it on fire.
The largest mosque in Sweden‘s capital city and the Iraqi embassy both hosted comparable protests this summer.
This is the most recent protest demonstration that the police have authorised in recent weeks, angering Muslim nations.
The two protesters were ready to burn the sacred scripture
In his application to the force, Mr. Najem stated, “I want to protest in front of Sweden’s parliament and demand that the Quran be banned.”
The two men were the only protestors, as they had been at previous demonstrations; a small number of counter-protesters had gathered outside the police barrier.
Although multiple applications for anti-Quran rallies were turned down, courts overturned those judgements, claiming they violated the right to free speech.
Due to earlier protests, Sweden’s diplomatic ties with several Middle Eastern countries have already become strained.
Denmark is thinking about outlawing the burning of the Quran or other religious literature due to security and diplomatic reasons after recent far-right actions.
If it is determined that such protests will have “significant negative consequences for the country, not least with regard to security,” the Danish government said on Sunday that it will look for a “legal tool” to enable authorities to interfere.
Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said today that “we are signalling both in Denmark and abroad that we are working on it will hopefully help de-escalate the problems we are facing.”
We don’t feel compelled to act in this way, but rather because our political analysis shows that it is in everyone’s best interests.
“We shouldn’t just wait for this to blow up,” someone said.
Separately, this month the Swedish government announced that it was also looking into a related option.
Right-wing parties have opposed the plans in both nations, with some arguing that free speech cannot be restricted.
Tobias Billstrom, Sweden’s foreign minister, claimed to have written to each of the 57 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to clarify Sweden’s freedom to assemble and denounce Islamophobic behaviour.
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Iraqi protesters break into Swedish embassy in Baghdad over burning of Quran
In response to police in Stockholm approving a demonstration where organisers are apparently preparing another burning of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, hundreds of demonstrators rushed the main gates of the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi city of Baghdad early on Thursday.
Social media videos depicted a sizable crowd of demonstrators inside the Swedish embassy’s perimeter as well as black smoke and fire emanating from the structure.
The demonstration, which is due for Thursday, will take place in Sweden only a few weeks after a lone man lit pages of the Quran on fire outside Stockholm’s biggest mosque, sparking indignation and condemnation from all over the world, including Iraq.
According to AFP, Swedish police said Wednesday they had granted a permit for a protest outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, with media reporting the organizers planned to burn the Muslim holy book.
Stockholm police told AFP they had granted a permit for a “public gathering” outside the Iraqi embassy but did not wish to give further comments on what the protesters were planning.
The Swedish police have stressed that they only grant permits for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during them, according to AFP.
At the Baghdad protest eyewitnesses told CNN that the protesters withdrew from the perimeter of the Swedish Embassy after setting part of it on fire “after delivering their message of protest against the act of burning the Holy Book of God.”
Sweden’s embassy staff in Baghdad are all safe amid protests outside of the building, the foreign ministry’s press office told CNN via email.
“We condemn all attacks on diplomats and staff from international organizations. Attacks on embassies and diplomats constitute a serious violation of the Vienna Convention. Iraqi authorities have the responsibility to protect diplomatic missions and diplomatic staff,” it said.
The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the burning of Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad, the ministry said in statement.
The incident is part of a concerning pattern of assaults on diplomatic missions, posing a significant security threat, the ministry said.
It added that the Iraqi government has taken swift action, instructing competent security authorities to launch an urgent investigation, “measures in order to uncover the circumstances of the incident and identify the perpetrators of this act and hold them accountable according to the law.”
At the end of June, a man burned a copy of Islam’s holy book outside a Stockholm Mosque sparking mass condemnations across the Muslim world.
Images of the event showed he was the only person apart from his translator at the demonstration, which coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most significant dates in the Islamic calendar.
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UN Rights Council to deliberate upon burning Quran
A spokesperson of the UN Human Rights Council has said they will convene an urgent session to address the recent burning of the Koran in Stockholm, which has sparked widespread global outrage.
The incident took place outside the main mosque in the Swedish capital last Wednesday and has resulted in a diplomatic backlash across the Muslim world.
The act was carried out by Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old who had sought refuge in Sweden after fleeing from Iraq several years ago. He stomped on the sacred book and set several pages on fire, coinciding with the observance of the Eid al-Adha holiday by Muslims worldwide and the conclusion of the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
In response to a request from Pakistan, the UN Human Rights Council, currently in session until July 14 in Geneva, will modify its agenda to include an urgent debate on this matter.
“The UN Human Rights Council will hold an urgent debate to ‘discuss the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred, as manifested by the current desecration of the holy Koran in some European and other countries’,” council spokesman Pascal Sim told reporters, citing the wording of the request.
“This urgent debate will be convened following a request of Pakistan, sent on behalf of several members of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation, including those that are members of the Human Rights Council.
“The urgent debate will most likely be convened this week at a date and time to be determined by the bureau of the Human Rights Council that is meeting today.”
There are 47 members of the Human Rights Council. The UN’s top rights body is currently in the second of its three regular sessions per year.
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Pope Francis frowns on burning Quran in Sweden
Pope Francis has strongly criticized the recent incident of Quran burning in Sweden, expressing his anger and disgust at the desecration of the Muslim holy book.
In an interview with the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad, the Pope emphasized the importance of respecting any book that is considered holy, as a means of showing respect to those who hold it sacred.
“I feel angry and disgusted at these actions.”
During the celebration of Eid al-Adha on Wednesday, a distressing incident occurred in Stockholm where an individual tore up and burned a Quran outside a mosque. This act has received condemnation from various quarters, including the governments of Turkey and Saudi Arabia.
In response to this incident, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), consisting of 57 member states, has called for collective action and emphasized the importance of utilizing international law to combat religious hatred.
The OIC said in a statement: “We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.”
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Germany closes its consulate in Istanbul due to “risk of attack”
The German Consulate in Istanbul warned citizens to avoid central areas of Turkey’s largest city and avoid crowds. Several European countries have warned of an increased risk of attacks in the wake of Quran burnings.
Germany temporarily closed its consulate in Istanbul on Wednesday, citing a heightened risk of attack in the Turkish city.
The move comes amid rising tensions after right-wing extremist and anti-Islam activists burned or destroyed Qurans in several European cities in recent weeks.
What did German officials say?
In posts on the consulate’s social media channels, German officials announced the consulate would be closed on Wednesday and that all visa appointments had been canceled.
“Following recent cases in several European capitals where the Quran was publicly burned or destroyed, security agencies believe the risk of terrorist attacks in Istanbul has increased,” officials said in a statement.
The statement advised German citizens to avoid Istanbul’s central district of Beyoglu and the popular Taksim Square. German officials also advised citizens to avoid areas with “international crowds” and steer clear of busy public places in general.
The German Embassy in Ankara remained open on Wednesday. It was unclear whether the consulate in Istanbul would remain closed later this week.
Both the Swedish Embassy in Ankara and the country’s consulate in Istanbul were also closed to visitors, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Stockholm told news agency dpa.
The British Consulate in Istanbul is also “currently not open to the public as a precaution,” according to a UK government travel advisory.
Tensions between Turkey and Europe
The warnings of potential attacks come after right-wing extremists repeatedly destroyed the Quran, the holy book of the Muslim faith, in several European cities.
The actions have sparked outrage in Turkey, particularly after the right-wing extremist Rasmus Paludan set fire to a Quran in front of a mosque in the Swedish capital of Stockholm. The Danish-Swedish politician later repeated the act in Copenhagen.
He threatened to continue until Turkey accepted Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance.
Similar protests where a Quran was desecrated and torn up in the Netherlands prompted Turkey to summon the Dutch ambassador.
Several countries — including Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and the United States — issued warnings last week of an increased risk of attacks in Turkey.
Turkey, in turn, also issued a travel alert for its nationals in Europe — saying that the recent anti-Muslim and anti-Turkish acts show the “dangerous level of religious intolerance and hatred” on the continent.
Both Sweden and Finland announced their intention to join NATO in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. All current members of the trans-Atlantic military alliance must approve their membership bids, but Turkey and Hungary have not yet approved.
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Malaysia blasts Quran desecration in Netherlands and Sweden
Kuala Lumpur has declared that it is “appalled” by the recent recurrence of Islamophobic acts in the two European nations.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Swedish and Dutch embassies in Kuala Lumpur to protest the recent destruction of the Quran in both nations. Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned “in the strongest terms” the desecration of the Quran by a far-right activist in the Netherlands.
The ministry’s statement on Friday was directed at Dutch far-right leader Edwin Wagensveld, who on Sunday tore pages from a Quran and trampled them in front of the parliament in The Hague.
On Thursday, the foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s envoy to express the Malaysian government’s “objection and disappointment” with Sweden for not taking action to stop Rasmus Paluda, a Danish far-right political leader, from burning a Quran on Saturday near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.
“Malaysia is appalled that such an Islamophobic act has been repeated within the last few days despite global condemnation,” the ministry said.
“Malaysia reiterates that bigotry, racism and any form of desecration of the Holy Scriptures, regardless of religion is unacceptable and should be condemned,” it said.
The right to freedom of expression involves “certain responsibilities and should not be abused”, the ministry said, calling on the United Nations, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the UN’s Human Rights Council to “urgently address” the issue of protection of religious scriptures around the world.
The foreign ministry pressed Sweden on Thursday to take “serious measures to combat all forms of violence and hatred against Islam”.
Failing to do so would allow Islamophobia and xenophobia to continue to prevail, the ministry said in a statement after its meeting with the Swedish charge d’affaires.
Local media in Malaysia reported that groups of protesters had gathered on Friday at offices housing the embassies of Sweden and the Netherlands to protest the desecration of the Quran. Estimates of the numbers of protesters ranged from dozens to 100 and possibly as many as 1,000, according to one report.
Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, said anger generated by the burning of the Quran had not diminished and the protesters had marched to the Swedish embassy to hand in a protest note.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had also weighed in on the matter, according to Looi, describing the desecration of the Quran as a “vile act” a “hate crime” and a “grave provocation to Muslims worldwide”.
Azmi Abdul Hamid, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisation, said there would be international consequences for what had taken place.
“You cannot say that this is a small matter. This will have an international repercussion,” he said at the protests.
Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, said anger generated by the burning of the Quran had not diminished and the protesters had marched to the Swedish embassy to hand in a protest note.
Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim had also weighed in on the matter, according to Looi, describing the desecration of the Quran as a “vile act” a “hate crime” and a “grave provocation to Muslims worldwide”.
Azmi Abdul Hamid, president of the Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisation, said there would be international consequences for what had taken place.
“You cannot say that this is a small matter. This will have an international repercussion,” he said at the protests.