Türkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs head condemns Quran burning in Sweden

By Utku Simsek

ANKARA (AA) - The head of Türkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, Ali Erbas, condemned on Wednesday the approval of burning the Quran by Swedish authorities.

"I strongly condemn the approval of the despicable act against our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden during Eid al-Adha," Erbas wrote in a statement on social media. "I invite Sweden and Western countries to stop protecting this diseased mentality that is hostile to Muslims, social peace and humanity.”

"We expect concrete sanctions against the perpetrators of the incidents to be implemented," he added.

On June 12, a Swedish appeals court upheld a lower court's decision to overturn a ban on Quran burning, ruling that police had no legal grounds to prevent two Quran burning protests earlier this year.

In February, police refused permission for two Quran burning attempts, citing security concerns, after far-right Danish politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm in January.

Later, two individuals who attempted to stage provocative actions outside the Iraqi and Turkish embassies in Stockholm appealed the decision.

In April, the Stockholm Administrative Court reversed the decision, ruling that security risks were insufficient to restrict the ability to demonstrate.