DUBAI, June 29. /TASS/. The burning of the Quran at a demonstration in Stockholm was a provocative and ill-considered act, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani said, adding that Tehran condemned the move.
"Another case of the desecration of sacred objects, especially during the holy days for the Islamic Ummah, as well as the gathering of millions of Muslims to perform the hajj, is a provocative, ill-considered and unacceptable act," Kanaani said in a statement published on the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s official Telegram channel in the early hours of June 29.
"Desecration of sacred books is an example of violence and spreading hatred and contradicts the concept of human rights," the Foreign Ministry spokesman stressed. "The Iranian government and people, as well as other Muslims and free-thinking people around the world, do not accept such an insult and strongly condemn these actions," he continued. Kanaani called on the Swedish government not to ignore the incident and to take action to prevent similar actions in the future.
The burning of the Quran drew a similar reaction from Arab countries, with authorities in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan condemning it. Riyadh called the burning of the holy book "a manifestation of racism." Amman stressed that such actions should not be confused with the right to freedom of speech and expression.
The burning of the Quran took place during a police-authorized demonstration in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen Square on Wednesday. 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. In addition, more than 1.8 million Muslims on Wednesday completed the hajj, or pilgrimage to the holy places of Islam in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.