Iraq impressed with Russia’s stance on Qur’an burning incident in Sweden
Baghdad — Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Al-Sahhaf said he was impressed with Russia’s condemnation of the burning of the Qur’an in Sweden.
“We are very impressed with Russia’s stance on the incident, which was a horrifying and outrageous act hostile to Islam,’’ Al-Sahhaf said.
He noted that Russia’s position condemning the incident in Sweden “played an important role; we believe that Russia’s position comes from the idea of rejecting any manifestations of violence and religious intolerance.’’
Swedish police authorized the burning of the Qur’an on June 28, with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson saying that the permit was “lawful but inappropriate.”
A similar incident took place in Sweden in January, when Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burnt the Holy Book in front of the Turkish embassy.
The desecration and burning of the Qur’an was condemned by several countries including Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Uzbekistan, as well as the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also condemned the incident saying that the impunity of its participants can lead to unpredictable catastrophic consequences.
It added that the world community must oppose such illegal actions.
Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that disrespect for the Qur’an is a crime in Russia.