Stockholm, MINA – A 30-year-old man carried out an action to burn a copy of the Koran outside the central mosque in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, to coincide with the Eid al-Adha celebration on Wednesday.
The man who has asked the police for permission for the action, is a refugee from Iraq who wants the Quran banned.
The Deutsche Welle report said the perpetrator first tore pages of the Koran, then wiped them with his shoe, and burned some of them in public, said Swedish public broadcaster SVT.
About 200 people gathered to watch, including the protesters.
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A man was detained after he tried to throw a rock.
The burning of the Quran could impact Sweden’s efforts to overcome Turkey’s opposition to its NATO membership bid.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan responded to the burning of the Quran by saying Sweden should not join the NATO alliance.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the move in a tweet.
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Quran burning in Sweden has become a mainstay of far-right extremists, initiated by the Danish-Swedish right-wing politician Rasmus Paludan. However, Paludan was not behind Wednesday’s action. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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