Erdoğan urges joint action against Islamophobia

ANKARA 

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has delivered a message against escalating Islamophobia and xenophobia in Western countries, calling for joint action to combat the alarming trends.

“The cowardly attack on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden on the first day of Eid al-Adha reveals the frightening dimensions of Islamophobia,” Erdoğan said, speaking via a video message at the annual meeting of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) on July 8.

Late in June, a self-identified refugee from Iraq set fire to a Quran in central Stockholm. The police authorized the protest citing freedom of speech, after a previous decision to ban a similar protest was overturned by a Swedish court.

Under a heavy police presence, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old who fled to Sweden several years ago, stomped on the Quran before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm's largest mosque. Police later said they had opened an investigation into the man over "agitation.”

The incident occurred as Muslims around the world began marking the Eid al-Adha holiday and as the annual hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia was drawing to a close.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the incident, stating "It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression."

Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern nations also condemned the burning of the holy book, warning such acts “inflame” the feelings of Muslims around the world.

Erdoğan called upon all Muslims to assume the responsibility of preventing the recurrence of such incidents.

"If we act as one heart and one wrist, no one in the world will have the courage to attack the holy places of Muslims," he said. "We cannot allow anyone to come between us and divide us based on ethnic, sectarian or cultural differences."

The president also underscored the "exceptional relationship" between Türkiye and Pakistan, describing the two nations as "brotherly countries."

Erdoğan expressed gratitude for Pakistan's unwavering support after the recent earthquakes in southeastern Türkiye.

"We once again witnessed the latest example of our shared destiny after the Feb. 6 earthquakes," he said. The president praised the humanitarian aid sent by Pakistan, noting that the earthquake survivors would always remember the solidarity displayed by Pakistan.