UAE summons Swedish envoy to protest burning of Quran copy in Stockholm

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) – The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Ministry on Thursday summoned Sweden's ambassador to Abu Dhabi to voice the country's rejection and condemnation of a Swedish extremist's burning of a copy of the holy Quran.

The ministry said in a statement that it delivered a "note of protest" to Liselott Anderson "affirming the UAE's rejection of all practices aimed at undermining security and stability in contravention of human values and principles."

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

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

The UAE Foreign Ministry also condemned the "use of freedom of expression as a justification for such heinous acts."

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

The “crime” of burning a Quran copy elicited widespread condemnation from the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania.

The US, for its part, described the act as “deeply disrespectful” but stopped short of condemning it.
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