According to Swedish authorities, three new applications for permission to burn religious texts have been received.
Qatar called on world powers to adopt collective measures to prevent future events involving the desecration of copies of the holy Quran on Wednesday, amid increasing incidents across Europe.
The call for unity and action came at the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ministerial conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, and waas made by Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi,
Condemning the act as a racist crime that intensifies Islamophobia, threatens global peace, and undermines freedom and justice, the minister highlighted the urgent need for collective efforts to prevent such transgressions.
Al Muraikhi led the Qatari delegation at the meeting, held under the theme, “Non-Aligned Movement: Uniting and Steadfast Against Rising Challenges.”
The NAM, with its six-decade-long history, has been instrumental in maintaining its member nations’ independence and contributing to global peace and security.
Expressing Qatar’s unwavering support for NAM’s objectives, the minister emphasised the organisation’s significant role in easing international tension, opposing polarising policies, upholding the United Nations Charter’s principles, and supporting global peace.
Al Muraikhi further accentuated Qatar’s belief in NAM’s effective platform to enhance multilateralism and solidarity in areas of common interest.
Emphasising Qatar’s diplomatic principles, he stated the country’s priority of collaboration and coordination for mutual benefit and its continual advocacy for peaceful dispute resolution to promote security, peace, and development at all levels.
Al Muraikhi also underscored the critical nature of Palestinian rights within NAM.
He noted the dangerous escalation of aggression by Israeli authorities against Palestinians, and called for a joint stance on a permanent resolution to the conflict in line with international law, advocating for the two-state solution, with an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.
Sweden receives protest applications
The call for action comes after an Iraqi migrant desecrated a copy of the holy text outside a mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid Al Adha last week, triggering widespread condemnation among Muslims worldwide.
Swedish authorities say they received three new applications seeking permission to burn religious texts amid a mounting controversy over the country’s freedom of speech laws. This development could potentially stoke further resentment among various religious communities.
One of the new applications proposes burning the Islamic holy book in front of a Stockholm mosque, mirroring the incident that took place on June 28. The initiator, a woman in her 50s, wishes to conduct the protest “as soon as possible”, according to her application.
A separate application proposes the burning of the Torah and the Bible near Stockholm’s Israeli embassy.
The organiser, a 30-year-old, has suggested June 15 as the event date in his application. He stated that this act is a reaction to the Quran burning last week and described it as “a symbolic gathering for the sake of freedom of expression.”
Earlier this week, an Egyptian Christian asylum seeker was arrested in Russia after desecrating the Quran, according to Russian media.
Said Abu Mustafa poured alcohol on the religous text and threw it in the Volga river in ‘solidarity’ with Salwan Momika, the extremist who burned the holy Quran outside the Stockholm mosque late last month.
