Russian Muslims 'outraged' by Quran burning in Sweden

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Muslims are "outraged" by the burning of the Quran in Sweden, the deputy head of Russia's Spiritual Board of Russian Muslims said Saturday.

"The Muslims of Russia are immensely outraged by another godless act that occurred in Sweden. The burning of holy scriptures is nothing but Satanism, which is increasingly manifested in Europe, which is rapidly losing its spiritual foundations," Rushan Abbyasov told the TASS news agency.

He urged Swedish authorities "to categorically respond to this act of Islamophobia" and call to account all those who participated.

Abbyasov noted that the act of Swedish radicals testifies to their "mental deficiency and lack of spirituality."

"Instead of expressing their point of view in a civilized way, they have descended to such a disgusting act, hurting the feelings of all Muslims in the world," he said.

Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was permitted to burn the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry summoned on Friday the Swedish Ambassador to Ankara Staffan Herrstrom, who was told that Türkiye "strongly condemns this provocative act, which is clearly a hate crime, that Sweden's attitude is unacceptable, that Ankara expects the act not to be allowed, and insults to sacred values ​​cannot be defended under the guise of democratic rights."