Stockholm, MINA – In Fiksatra, a quiet suburb in the municipality of Nacka outside Stockholm, Muslims and Christians have lived side by side peacefully for many years.
Together, they hold “peace prayers”, organize cultural festivals, and even plan to set up their house of worship next to each other. Quoted from Anadolu Agency on Monday.
That spirit has been tested by the recent wave of attacks on the Muslim holy book in Sweden, but the Fiksatra people are determined to overcome the challenge together.
In July, members of the Fiksatra Muslim and Christian communities stood side by side in Stockholm’s Medborgarplatsen square to protest against the desecration of the Qur’an.
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Among those present to show solidarity was Carl Dahlback, parish vicar of the Nacka Community at the Church of Sweden.
“It’s touching. Many Muslims come to me and thank me for participating in the protests against the burning of the Koran. They want to take pictures with me,” he told Anadolu in a video interview.
The Swedish Islamic Cultural Circle (ICC), a Muslim organization based in Stockholm, said the demonstration was the largest protest held so far and informed how peaceful ways to express views were.
ICC is planning several activities to raise awareness about Islam and its holy book.
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For this, the Fiksatra Muslim and Christian communities will collaborate, according to Mohammad Aqib, an ICC official.
“We will hold a program at the church, where there will be prayers and recitations,” he told Anadolu.
The group will also distribute copies of the Qur’an with Swedish translation, along with educational videos on social media platforms about the holy book.
He also wants to summon a prominent Muslim scholar from Saudi Arabia to hold Qur’an recitations in main squares across Sweden.
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Repeated attacks on the Qur’an in Sweden and neighboring Denmark have drawn strong condemnation from Muslims around the world and calls for steps to stop such acts.
In late July, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he was in “close dialogue” with his Danish counterpart Mette Frederiksen, adding both countries recognized that “the situation is dangerous and action is needed to strengthen our resilience.”
Kristersson said his government would find a way around the problem, but ruled out major changes to Sweden’s freedom of expression law.
Dahlback, a pastor for more than three decades, said those who desecrate the Qur’an are troublemakers who want to cause trouble and hurt people.
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He said this action was a form of hate speech, adding that while it is against Muslims, it is also prevalent against Jews and Christians.
“Stop doing this. Come and talk to us,” he called out to those involved in this action, stressing that burning the Qur’an was a bad way to exercise one’s freedom of expression.
In Aqib’s view, the attack was more on individuals seeking attention and popularity, not hatred of Islam and Muslims.
He also believes these people are supported and encouraged by far-right political groups.
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Dahlback feels such incidents will continue, but is optimistic about positive changes in the future because “no one wants troublemakers to rule the world”.
He felt Sweden’s existing laws were sufficient to prevent more such attacks.
“Many people think that it is possible to use the law that we have today to ban the burning of these Korans,” he said.
A new law that explicitly regulates the burning of holy books is not needed, as existing laws must be used to interpret this as hate speech against religious groups to stop such incidents, he added.
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However, Aqib, the ICC official, said changes to the current law were necessary to ensure there was no room for misusing religion or religious books under the guise of freedom of expression.
“Existing laws must be changed so that there are no provisions that allow people to disrespect Islam or other religions,” he told Anadolu, warning such actions spread hatred in society and could lead to wider unrest. (T/RE1/P2)
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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