STOCKHOLM, July 25. /TASS/. Five protesters on Tuesday burned a copy of Quran in front of the Egyptian embassy in Copenhagen, Reuters reported.
This is the third action of the radical right-wing group "Danish Patriots". The previous demonstrations took place on July 21 and July 24.
The Danish Foreign Ministry earlier said that it condemned the act. According to it, "burning of holy texts and other religious symbols is a shameful act that disrespects the religion of others." The ministry recalled that there is freedom of religion in the country and that many Danish citizens are Muslims. At the same time, the ministry pointed to the fact that "freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected." "Denmark supports the right to protest but emphasizes it must remain peaceful," the Foreign Ministry said.
Authorities in many Islamic countries have condemned the Quran-burning rally in Denmark and neighboring Sweden.
The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square on June 28. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set it on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of Islam’s major religious holidays. This act triggered a strong negative reaction from the population and authorities of Islamic countries, especially Arab countries. On July 19, Swedish authorities gave permission for a similar action to be held in Stockholm on July 20. This time Momika intended to burn a copy of the Quran and the Iraqi national flag. As a TASS correspondent reported, the immigrant kicked the holy book, but did not burn it. On Thursday night, the Swedish embassy in Baghdad was attacked by protesters unhappy with Stockholm’s decision to allow the new action. The Iraqi government later decided to expel the country’s ambassador.