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Western hypocrisy shines through in Quran burnings in Europe

"The burning of the Quran ignores the positions of human rights and this triggers the spread of hatred and violence," the Iranian ambassador to Russia stressed

MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. Quran-burning rallies in Sweden and Denmark are examples of the West’s policy of double standards, Iranian Ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali said at a press conference.

"What happened in Sweden and Denmark is a shameful affair from various points of view. This speaks of the West’s double standards," he said.

Jalali highlighted that the "West speaks about the existence of the freedom of speech," while "the burning of the Quran ignores the positions of human rights." "The burning of the Quran ignores the positions of human rights and this triggers the spread of hatred and violence. This contradicts the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council," he noted.

A police-authorized rally where the Islamic holy book was set on fire took place in Medborgarplatsen Square in downtown Stockholm on June 28. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant, tore pages from the Quran and set them on fire. On that day, Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid al-Adha, one of the two major religious holidays in Islam. This action sparked a harsh reaction across the Islamic world, especially in Arab countries. In relation to this, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia deeply respected the Quran and Muslims’ religious beliefs, pointing out that disrespect to this holy book constituted a crime in Russia.

In July, representatives from the Danish Patriots radical right-wing group burned the Quran in front of the embassies of Egypt, Turkey and Iraq in Denmark. The Danish Foreign Ministry condemned the act. According to it, the "burning of holy texts and other religious symbols is a shameful act that disrespects the religion of others." The foreign policy agency reiterated that "Denmark has freedom of religion and many Danish citizens are Muslims." That said, the ministry pointed out that "freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected."

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