- Saudi Arabia Recalls Danish Diplomat Over Quran Desecration
- Ongoing Protests and Outrage in Muslim World
- Muslim Governments Condemn Sacrilegious Acts in Europe
State media reported early Friday that Saudi Arabia recalled a Danish diplomat to protest the desecration of the Holy Quran by an extreme-right group in Copenhagen.
During a meeting with the Danish charge d’affaires on Thursday, foreign ministry officials delivered a protest note calling for an end to “these disgraceful acts, which violate all religious teachings and international laws and norms” and can “fuel hatred between religions,” according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
On Monday, the Danish far-right group Danske Patrioter released a video showing a man desecrating and burning what appeared to be the Holy Quran.
It was the most recent incident of this type to provoke outrage in the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia, home to the sacred cities of Makkah and Madina, has also condemned the protests of an Iraqi refugee residing in Sweden who burned pages of the sacred Quran in front of Stockholm’s main mosque last month.
In a separate protest last week, the refugee Salwan Momika stepped on the Holy Quran but did not burn it, prompting Riyadh to deliver the Swedish charge d’affaires a protest note.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq have requested an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah on Monday to discuss the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.
Thursday Hissein Brahim Taha, the secretary general of the 57-member organization, received a call from the Swedish Foreign Minister, Tobias Billstrom.
As stated in the OIC’s official statement, during the call Billstrom conveyed Sweden’s rejection of acts that insult the Holy Quran and reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining good relations with OIC members.
In addition, on the same day, Pakistan and Egypt continued their condemnation of successive sacrilegious acts in Europe, which provoked widespread outrage and condemnation among Muslims.
Outside its embassy in Copenhagen, Pakistan condemned the desecration of the Muslim sacred book and the dishonoring of its national flag.
As a result of the burning, two significant demonstrations occurred outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad last month, with protesters breaching the embassy grounds on one occasion.
Several Muslim governments, including those of Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco, have protested the incident, with Iraq requesting the man’s extradition so he can be tried there.
