Kurd protests in Sweden and Turkish rage over the Quran burning
The Quran was burned by a fringe European politician over the weekend as a political statement, inciting outrage throughout the Muslim world. Indonesia is the latest country to denounce the atrocity and call for responsibility. Regardless of whether the crime was directed towards another country, Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, views the desecration of Islam's holy scripture as a provocative act. Rasmus Paludan, a Swedish-Danish activist who has previously been found guilty of racial abuse, performed the same act he did a year ago in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday in opposition to Ankara's demands that Kurdish activists be returned, which is a sticking point in Sweden's application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Following demonstrations in front of its embassy in Stockholm that included the burning of a Quran by far-right sympathizers and a separate rally by Kurdish activists, Turkey chastised Sweden. A visit by Sweden's defense minister was postponed, according to Ankara, in order to assuage Turkey's concerns about joining NATO. In order to join the military alliance, Sweden needs Turkey's support as concerns in Europe increase in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Rasmus Paludan, the head of the Danish far-right political group Hard Line, burned the Quran. During the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Paludan's announcement of a Quran burning "tour" in April of last year caused riots throughout Sweden. Paludan, surrounded by police, denounced Islam and immigration in Sweden during a nearly hour-long tirade before setting fire to the holy book with a lighter. Nearby, about 100 people gathered for a calm counterprotest.
"You have to live somewhere else if you don't think there should be freedom of expression," he remarked.
The Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement in response right away.
"We denounce the heinous assault on our holy book in the strongest terms possible... Under the cover of freedom of expression, tolerating anti-Islam conduct that targets Muslims and denigrates our cherished beliefs is wholly unacceptable, the ministry declared.
Mevlut Cavusoglu, the foreign minister of Turkey, lashed out at the Swedish government for not forbidding the protest. It's not about freedom of expression, he continued, "it's a discriminatory activity."
Several Arab nations, notably Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait, condemned the burning of the Quran.
The Saudi foreign ministry issued a statement saying, "Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the ideals of discourse, tolerance, and coexistence and rejects intolerance and extremism."
Tobias Billstrom, the foreign minister of Sweden, referred to the provocations as "appalling."
Billstrom wrote on Twitter, "Sweden has broad freedom of expression, but that does not indicate that the Swedish Government or I support the beliefs expressed.
Separate demonstrations in support of Kurds and against Sweden's NATO membership took place in the city. Pro-Turkish protesters also held a rally in front of the embassy. Each of the three occasions had a police permit.
The Kurdistan Workers' Party, also known as the PKK, which has been fighting a long-running insurgency against Turkey, was among the Kurdish parties whose flags were hoisted during the demonstrations. Although the PKK is regarded as a terrorist organization in Turkey, the European Union, and the US, Sweden does not have a ban on its insignia.
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