Saudi Arabia summons Swedish ambassador to protest Quran burning in Stockholm

By Muhammed Semiz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry summoned Sweden's ambassador on Sunday to protest the decision by Swedish authorities to grant an extremist permission to burn a copy of the Muslim holy book, the Quran, outside a mosque in the capital Stockholm last week.

In a statement, the ministry rejected the "disgraceful act" and urged the Swedish government to take immediate measures to prevent actions that undermine respect and contradict values of tolerance and moderation.

Saudi Arabia had already condemned the Quran burning incident.

On Wednesday, a person identified as Salwan Momika burned a copy of the Muslim holy book under police protection in front of Stockholm Mosque.

His provocative act was timed to coincide with Eid al-Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

The act has elicited widespread condemnation from the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania.

In January, a far-right politician also set fire to a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Sweden.