Fallout of Qur’an burning in Sweden shows why there can be no tolerance for intolerance

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Swedish police officers belatedly intervene after a group of Islamophobes burn a copy of the Qur'an, the Muslim holy book, outside the central mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023. (TT News Agency/Caisa Rasmussen/via REUTERS)
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Smoke billows as supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr protest near the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on June 30, 2023, against a man who tore up and burned a copy of the Qur'an outside a mosque in the Swedish capital Stockholm. (REUTERS/Saba Kareem)
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Iranians burn a Swedish flag during a demonstration on June 30, 2023, in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran to protest the burning of a Qur'an in Sweden. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
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Updated 02 July 2023
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Fallout of Qur’an burning in Sweden shows why there can be no tolerance for intolerance

  • Swedish authorities face condemnation for allowing desecration of holy book of Islam by Iraqi immigrant in Stockholm
  • Incident raises questions about limits of free speech and the unequal treatment of different texts, religious or secular

JEDDAH: Sweden, a nation known for its progressive values and commitment to human rights, finds itself at the center of a fierce diplomatic storm over the burning of a copy of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam, by a member of a far-right Swedish party.

This burning, which Swedish authorities permitted to take place on June 28 in Stockholm, has sparked anger and outrage among Muslims across the world.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, a 57-member group of nations, said it would hold an “emergency meeting” to discuss the situation, with talks expected to take place on Sunday.

According to a spokesman, the executive committee of the OIC will meet in the Saudi city of Jeddah to “discuss the measures to be taken against this heinous act and adopt a collective position on the necessary course of action.”

The incident occurred outside the Stockholm central mosque during Eid Al-Adha, a major Islamic holiday and the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia.




Salwan Momika, who fled from Iraq to Sweden several years ago, protests outside a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023, during the Eid al-Adha holiday. He later tore up and burned a copy of the Muslim holy book. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)

The act was carried out by Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant living in Sweden, who claimed to be expressing his opinion about the Holy Qur’an.

The police in Stockholm had granted a permit for the protest after a Swedish court ruled that banning it would impinge on the right to freedom of speech and that the force did not have sufficient evidence to ban such protests.

In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Expressen on Thursday, Momika denied his actions constituted a “hate crime” or “agitation toward any group.” He also said he intends to burn another copy of the holy book within 10 days of his first protest.

According to a statement on the website of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, “The Swedish government strongly rejects the Islamophobic act committed by individuals in Sweden. This act in no way reflects the opinions of the Swedish Government.”




Swedish police allowed Salwan Momika, an Iraqi residing in Sweden, to tear up and burn a copy of the Qur'an during an unprovoked demonstration outside a mosque in Stockholm on June 28, 2023, as Muslims worldwide celebrated Eid Al-Adha. (Jonathan Nackstrand / AFP)

A statement issued by a spokesperson for the Diplomatic Service of the European Union said: “The EU joins the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in its strong rejection of the burning of a Qur’an by an individual in Sweden. ... Burning the Qur’an or any other Holy Book is offensive and disrespectful and a clear act of provocation. Manifestations of racism, xenophobia and related tolerance have no place in Europe.”

Arab News contacted the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden with a set of questions but had not received a response at the time of publishing.

Responding to the Stockholm incident, several Muslim-majority countries have expressed their concerns and condemned the act as a deliberate provocation and an attack on their religion.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement strongly condemning the burning, emphasizing that such actions incite hatred, exclusion, and racism, contradicting efforts to promote tolerance, moderation, and the rejection of extremism.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist at Stockholm Central Mosque in Sweden following Eid Al-Adha prayer,” the ministry said.

“These hateful and repeated acts cannot be accepted with any justification, and they clearly incite hatred, exclusion, and racism, and directly contradict international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism, and undermine the necessary mutual respect for relations between peoples and states.”

FASTFACTS

140,000+ Iraqi-born immigrants form the second-largest immigrant group in Sweden.

Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm on Jan. 21 this year.

Morocco, for its part, summoned Sweden’s ambassador to Rabat and recalled its own ambassador, while Jordan expressed displeasure to Sweden’s envoy, describing the burning as an act of hatred and racism.

The UAE also summoned Sweden’s ambassador and expressed strong displeasure over the country allowing Momika’s action. In a statement, Dr. Anwar Gargash, a diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, said: “The blatant and repeated attacks on our Islamic faith under the pretext of freedom of opinion perpetuate hatred and rivalry.”

On Thursday, a crowd of Iraqi protesters, led by the Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, broke into Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad, but vacated it after 15 minutes when security forces arrived at the scene.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry condemned Sweden’s decision to grant an “extremist” permission to burn a copy of the Qur’an, saying such acts “inflame the feelings of Muslims around the world and represent a dangerous provocation.”

The ministry said it had summoned the Swedish ambassador to Baghdad to inform her of the country’s “strong protest” over the authorization decision.




Supporters of Shiite Muslim leader Moqtada Sadr demonstrate inside the courtyard and outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on June 29, 2023, to protest the burning of the Qur'an by an Iraqi living in Sweden. (Photo by Ahmad Al-Rubaye / AFP)

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, criticized Sweden for allowing such a protest, which may have further weakened the Nordic nation’s chances of joining NATO — a move that has long been vetoed by NATO-member Turkiye.

“We will eventually teach the arrogant Westerners that insulting Muslims is not freedom of thought,” Erdogan said in televised remarks. “We will show our reaction in the strongest possible terms, until a determined victory against terrorist organizations and Islamophobia is achieved.”

Political commentators have warned that the act of burning a copy of the Qur’an not only stokes existing tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim communities within Sweden, but also plays into the hands of extremist elements who exploit such incidents to fuel hatred and further polarize societies.

Previous incidents involving the desecration of sacred texts have also faced condemnation. In 2015, a far-right politician burned a copy of the Qur’an outside a mosque, and earlier this year, an Egyptian living in Sweden planned to burn the Torah in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm to spark a debate on the Palestinian cause.

However, Muslim leaders in Sweden intervened to prevent the action, with both Muslim and Jewish clergy speaking out against the desecration of sacred texts as a form of protest.

Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s prime minister, has said Momika’s action was “legal but not appropriate.”




Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson talks to the media at the EU headquarters in Brussels on June 29, 2023. (AFP)

Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi political researcher, told Arab News: “I have been to Sweden. It is a beautiful country with great people who value respect for others.

“However, it’s very unfortunate that some extremists exploited Sweden and its loose laws with regards to freedom of expression. The Swedish people are among the kindest I have ever encountered.

“I am absolutely certain that the Swedish people don’t agree with hate-filled speeches and actions. If burning the holy book of 1.8 billion people is not hate, then what constitutes hate speech and action?”

Highlighting concerns about a selective approach to freedom of expression, some political analysts say that the response by a Western country might have been different had the protest been against a different faith or a popular political cause.

They contend that desecration of a Jewish religious symbol, for example, would likely have invited charges of antisemitism; similarly, any protest directed against black people would certainly have fallen foul of laws banning racism.

In the last week of April, a group of self-proclaimed Satanists cheered as two leaders opened SatanCon 2023 in the US city of Boston, with a formal ceremony renouncing “symbols of oppression” by ripping up a Bible and a “Thin Blue Line” flag representing police.

Commenting on a Fox News video of the actions on Twitter, Al-Ansari made clear his views on the desecration, saying: “As a Muslim, I say these Satanist actions against Christianity and the Bible are nothing but deplorable, disgusting and full of hatred towards people of all faiths.

“How can ripping up a Bible help? Who are the behind-the-scenes enablers of this hate cult?”

 

 

The burning of a copy of the Qur’an is not only considered deeply offensive by Muslims worldwide, it also raises vital questions about the limits of free speech and the unequal treatment of different texts, religious or secular.

While freedom of expression is a fundamental human right and a cornerstone of democratic societies, many political scientists believe it should not be considered an absolute right that enables the incitement of hatred or the deliberate denigration of religious beliefs.

Speaking to Arab News, Al-Ansari said: “Sweden is dear to my heart and I am sad to see it exploited by far-right radicals and extremists. It’s time for Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and the Swedish parliament to drain the swamp of hate and extremism.

“The Swedish government should rectify this matter and draw a clear line between freedom of expression and hate actions.

“Otherwise, the Swedish government and people will be seen as hate preachers and hypocrites where they ban many slogans such as the Nazi ones and allow anti-Muslim hatred.

“That’s a clear double standard that can’t be justified in any way whatsoever. Sweden is better than that.”




Iranians demonstrate in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran on June 30, 2023, to protest the burning of a Qur'an by Islamophobes in the Swedish capital earlier. (AP)

Referring to Momika, Al-Ansari said: “The perpetrator of this action is reportedly an active Iraqi militia member who worked with radical and militant organizations in Iraq.

“And he kept visiting Iraq even though he claimed to be fearing for his life. If lying to the Swedish immigration is not enough to revoke his asylum status, then what is?”

Others have suggested that this week’s incident underscores the importance of encouraging interfaith dialogue, educating the public about the significance of religious texts, and bridging divides through respectful communication.

In order to achieve harmonious coexistence in multicultural societies, religious leaders believe tolerance and respect for diverse beliefs are paramount.

While freedom of speech remains crucial, they believe it must be exercised responsibly, taking into account the potential consequences and respecting the sensitivities of others.

In a recent interview with the news channel MBC, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, emphasized that a “copy of the Holy Qur’an, not the Qur’an,” had fallen into the “hands of a hateful extremist who holds a grudge and who took refuge in a constitution that allows him to express freely, “even if his expressed opinion is a grudge that will incite hatred and enmity among all.”

 

 

He added: “This is the philosophy of the constitution that protects him, and in this case, it is the Swedish constitution, which in fact, represents the will of the Swedish people in enacting this constitution.

“However, the majority of the Swedish people distinguish between the articles of the constitution and the behavior that gets protection under the article of the constitution to express those opinions, in particular those grudges and hatred that are expressed in that incident.

“In general, the (Swedish people) do not agree with these grudges and hatred. They reject them. However, they say ‘This is his right to express his opinion as long as it does not (commit) a harmful action that is tangible.’”

Al-Issa, who deems Momika’s actions a crime, added: “We have differences with the philosophy of this constitution. We explicitly denounce this heinous act. We condemn it in every possible way.”

In March 2019, Arab News took a clear stand against those who promote hate speech in the name of religion by launching a project, “Preachers of Hate,” whose theme was there can be no tolerance for intolerance.

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“Each week, we will focus on a particular preacher, explain their beliefs, shed light on their hate-filled edicts and, most importantly, hold them accountable for their words,” Arab News Editor-in-Chief Faisal J. Abbas wrote in a column entitled “There can be no tolerance for intolerance” introducing the series.

The series profiled, contextualized and analyzed extremist preachers from all religions, backgrounds and nationalities, with a view to highlighting the impact of their words on people worldwide.

 


Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 33 people

Updated 5 sec ago
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Fighting between armed sectarian groups in restive northwestern Pakistan kills at least 33 people

  • Senior police officer said Saturday armed men torched shops, houses and government property overnight
PESHAWAR: Fighting between armed Sunni and Shiite groups in northwestern Pakistan killed at least 33 people and injured 25 others, a senior police officer from the region said Saturday.
The overnight violence was the latest to rock Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and comes days after a deadly gun ambush killed 42 people.
Shiite Muslims make up about 15 percent of the 240 million people in Sunni-majority Pakistan, which has a history of sectarian animosity between the communities.
Although the two groups generally live together peacefully, tensions remain, especially in Kurram.
The senior police officer said armed men in Bagan and Bacha Kot torched shops, houses and government property.
Intense gunfire was ongoing between the Alizai and Bagan tribes in the Lower Kurram area.
“Educational institutions in Kurram are closed due to the severe tension. Both sides are targeting each other with heavy and automatic weapons,” said the officer, who spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Videos shared with The Associated Press showed a market engulfed by fire and orange flames piercing the night sky. Gunfire can also be heard.
The location of Thursday’s attack was also targeted by armed men, who marched on the area.
Survivors of the gun ambush said assailants emerged from a vehicle and sprayed buses and cars with bullets. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack and police have not identified a motive.
Dozens of people from the district’s Sunni and Shiite communities have been killed since July, when a land dispute erupted in Kurram that later turned into general sectarian violence.

Key UN committee adopts resolution paving the way for a first-ever treaty on crimes against humanity

Updated 18 min 50 sec ago
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Key UN committee adopts resolution paving the way for a first-ever treaty on crimes against humanity

  • The International Criminal Court was established to punish major perpetrators of war crimes
  • ICC has 124 countries that are parties to it

UNITED NATIONS: A key UN General Assembly committee adopted a resolution late Friday paving the way for negotiations on a first-ever treaty on preventing and punishing crimes against humanity after Russia dropped amendments that would have derailed the effort.
The resolution was approved by consensus by the assembly’s legal committee, which includes all 193-member UN nations, after tense last-minute negotiations between its supporters and Russia that dragged through the day.
There was loud applause when the chairman of the committee gaveled the resolution’s approval. It is virtually certain to be adopted when the General Assembly puts it to a final vote on Dec. 4.
“Today’s agreement to start up negotiations on a much-needed international treaty is a historic achievement that was a long time coming,” Richard Dicker, Human Rights Watch’s senior legal adviser for advocacy, told The Associated Press.
“It sends a crucial message that impunity for the kinds of crimes inflicted on civilians in Ethiopia, Sudan, Ukraine, southern Israel, Gaza and Myanmar will not go unheeded,” he said.
The resolution calls for a time-bound process with preparatory sessions in 2026 and 2027, and three-week negotiating sessions in 2028 and 2029 to finalize a treaty on crimes against humanity.
Dicker said Russia’s proposed amendments left in question whether treaty negotiations would have been completed.
Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Maria Zabolotskaya said Russia withdrew the amendments “in a spirit of compromise.” But she said Russia “dissociates itself from consensus.”
“This, of course, does not mean that we are not ready to work on this crucial convention,” Zabolotskaya told the committee.
The International Criminal Court was established to punish major perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide and it has 124 countries that are parties to it. The ICC says crimes against humanity are committed as part of a large-scale attack on civilians and it lists 15 forms including murder, rape, imprisonment, enforced disappearances, sexual slavery, torture and deportation.
But the ICC does not have jurisdiction over nearly 70 other countries.
There are global treaties that cover war crimes, genocide and torture — but there has been no specific treaty addressing crimes against humanity. And according to sponsors of the resolution, led by Mexico and Gambia and backed by 96 other countries, a new treaty will fill the gap.
Kelly Adams, legal adviser at the Global Justice Center, also called the resolution “a historic breakthrough” after many delays.
Pointing to “the proliferation of crimes against humanity around the world,” she expressed hope that a treaty will be “strong, progressive and survivor-centric.”
Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnes Callamard expressed disappointment that the timeline had been extended until 2029, but said, “What’s important is that this process will deliver a viable convention.”
“It is long overdue and all the more welcome at a time when too many states are intent on wrecking international law and universal standards,” she said. “It is a clear sign that states are ready to reinforce the international justice framework and clamp down on safe havens from investigation and prosecution for perpetrators of these heinous crimes.”
After the resolution’s adoption, Gambia’s Counselor Amadou Jaiteh, who had introduced it hours earlier, called its approval “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a difference,” to hope for a world without crimes against humanity, “and a world where voices of victims are heard louder than their perpetrators.”


Philippine VP made ‘active threat’ on Marcos’ life: palace

Updated 15 min 32 sec ago
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Philippine VP made ‘active threat’ on Marcos’ life: palace

  • The statement followed an expletive-laced press conference in which Duterte alleged she was the subject of an assassination plot

Manila: Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’ security detail has been put on alert over what his office is calling an “active threat” against his life by Vice President Sara Duterte, the palace said Saturday.
The statement followed an expletive-laced press conference in which Duterte alleged she was the subject of an assassination plot and said she ordered a member of her security team to kill the president should it succeed.
The Duterte and Marcos families have seen their alliance unravel in spectacular fashion in recent months, trading accusations of drug addiction and increasingly extreme rhetoric ahead of next year’s mid-term elections and presidential polls in 2028.
“I already talked to a person in my security. I told him if I get killed, kill BBM (Ferdinand Marcos), (first lady) Liza Araneta and (the president’s cousin) Martin Romualdez. No joke,” Duterte said at a press conference that began after midnight.
“I said, if I die, don’t stop until you have killed them.”
Hours later, the palace communications office said it had referred “this active threat to the Presidential Security Command for immediate proper action.”
“Any threat to the life of the President must always be taken seriously, more so that this threat has been publicly revealed in clear and certain terms,” it said in a statement.
Duterte is facing the threat of impeachment in the House of Representatives, led by Marcos’s cousin Romualdez, who is widely expected to run for president in 2028.
She has also had a messy falling out with the president’s wife Liza Araneta-Marcos, who has accused her of laughing at a January event where her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, accused Marcos of being a “drug addict.”
Duterte called her late-night press conference after House officials said they would transfer her chief of staff — detained after being cited for contempt — from the lower chamber’s detention center to a correctional facility.
Zuleika Lopez was detained on Wednesday after being accused of “undue interference” in House proceedings focused on Duterte’s spending of public funds.
Duterte stepped down from the cabinet post of education secretary in June as relations between the two families reached a breaking point.
Months earlier, her father had accused Marcos of being a “drug addict,” with the president the next day claiming his predecessor’s health was failing due to long-term use of the powerful opioid fentanyl.
Neither provided evidence of their allegations.
In October, Duterte said she felt “used” after teaming with Marcos for the May 2022 election, which they won by a landslide.
Duterte remains the constitutional successor to the 67-year-old president.


US restricts food, metal imports on Uyghur forced labor concerns

Updated 23 November 2024
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US restricts food, metal imports on Uyghur forced labor concerns

  • Goods wholly or partially made by the sanctioned firms will be restricted from entering the US, says the Department of Homeland Security
  • China is accused of incarcerating over 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, although officials strongly deny this

WASHINGTON: The United States said Friday that it is barring imports from dozens more China-based companies — ranging from businesses in the metals to food industries — citing worries over forced labor.
Officials are adding around 30 entities to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act entity list, meaning that goods wholly or partially made by these firms will be restricted from entering the United States.
The new additions bring the total number on the list to 107, said the Department of Homeland Security.
The reason is that the companies were found to either source materials from China’s northwestern Xinjiang region or work with its local government “to recruit, transfer, and receive workers, including Uyghurs, out of Xinjiang,” said the US Trade Representative’s office.
Beijing has been accused of incarcerating over one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a network of detention facilities in Xinjiang, although officials strongly deny this.

The newly-targeted companies make goods ranging from agricultural to aluminum products, along with polysilicon materials.
They also mine and process metals like copper, gold and nickel, the USTR statement added.
Among them are companies tied to Chinese electric vehicle battery manufacturer CATL and China-linked Gotion too, a bipartisan US congressional committee noted on Friday.
Earlier this year, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and others flagged CATL and Gotion’s ties to two businesses, Xinjiang Nonferrous and Xinjiang Joinworld.
Both were included in the latest update.
The committee’s chairman John Moolenaar and other lawmakers released a statement saying: “While we are pleased with this initial step, we remain concerned that CATL and Gotion’s supply chains are deeply tied to the Xinjiang region.”
The rule comes into effect on November 25.
“Companies should not secure unfair advantages by exploiting workers,” said US Trade Representative Katherine Tai.
“We will enforce our laws to address forced labor and prevent companies that violate workers’ rights from benefiting from the US market,” she added in a statement.
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was signed into law in 2021.
 


Trump plans to assemble investigative teams to look into 2020 election, Washington Post reports

Updated 23 November 2024
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Trump plans to assemble investigative teams to look into 2020 election, Washington Post reports

WASHINGTON: US President-elect Donald Trump plans to assemble investigative teams at the Department of Justice to search for evidence in battleground states that fraud tainted the 2020 election, the Washington Post reported on Friday, citing a source.
Trump, who won the 2024 election but lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, has falsely claimed that he lost the 2020 election due to extensive voter fraud, a view shared by millions of his supporters.
Trump was indicted last year on federal charges for his attempts to overturn the election. The charges stemmed from an investigation by Special Counsel Jack Smith.
The Washington Post, citing two people close to Trump’s transition team, reported that Trump plans to fire the entire team that worked with Smith.