Burning of Quran would not be allowed in Finland: Police

By Murat Temizer and Mehmet Solmaz

WARSAW/STOCKHOLM (AA) - Police in Finland said the public burning of Islam’s holy book the Quran would not be allowed in the country, local media reported Monday.

The National Police Board said that burning a copy of the Quran would likely violate religious peace, which is a punishable offence in Finland, said media reports, citing the Finnish News Agency STT.

The public burning or other desecration of a book held sacred by a religious community would be met with police intervention, added the police.

In response to a question from Anadolu on whether they would adopt a similar approach, the Swedish Foreign Ministry reiterated its position on burning a copy of the Quran in the name of freedom of expression.

"The government understands those who are offended by actions such as the burning of holy scriptures," the ministry noted, adding "not everything that is legal is necessarily appropriate."

Danish-Swedish politician Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party, burned a copy of the Quran in front of a mosque in Denmark on Friday.

The Islamophobic act came days after the far-right leader burned a Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden during a police-approved protest.

Paludan also announced that he would burn a copy of the Muslim holy book every Friday until Sweden is included in the NATO alliance.