'Vile act': UN body condemns burning of Quran in Sweden

New Delhi: The high representative of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) has condemned the burning of the Muslim holy book by a Swedish-Danish far-right politician as a “vile act”.

Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right political party Hard Line, set ablaze the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on 21 January under the protection of the Swedish police.

“While the High Representative stresses the importance of upholding the freedom of expression as a fundamental human right, he also emphasises that the act of Quran-burning, amounts to an expression of hatred towards Muslims,” a spokesperson for high representative for the UNAOC Miguel Angel Moratinos’ said in a statement.

“It is disrespectful and insulting to the adherents of Islam and should not be conflated with freedom of expression,” the statement added.

Moratinos, who heads a UN agency that describes itself as “devoted to promoting understanding across diverse communities”, said he was concerned about the rise in “discrimination, intolerance and violence … directed against members of many religious and other communities in various parts of the world”.

He called for the building of “mutual respect” and promotion of “inclusive and peaceful societies rooted in human rights and dignity for all”.

The atrocious act drew widespread condemnation from Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan and Somalia, who targeted Sweden for “state-supported Islamophobia”.

Turkey cancelled a planned tour by Swedish defence minister Pal Jonson to Ankara amid diplomatic tensions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Sweden that it should not expect his backing to join NATO following the burning of the Quran.

“Those who allow such blasphemy in front of our embassy [in Stockholm] can no longer expect our support for their NATO membership,” Erdogan said on Monday, in his first official response to the act.

Denouncing the act, Swedish Prime minister Ulf Kristersson said, “Freedom of expression is a fundamental part of democracy. But what is legal is not necessarily appropriate. Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act.”

“I want to express my sympathy for all Muslims who are offended by what has happened in Stockholm,” he added.

After Turkey delayed Sweden’s and Finland’s applications to join NATO, tensions between the two countries began to rise. After a protracted tirade against Islam, protester Paludan set fire to the Quran at a protest in Sweden against Turkey’s response to their NATO applications.

With inputs from agencies

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