Ankara condemns Quran desecration in Sweden
ANKARA
Ankara has issued a strong condemnation against the recent "vile attack" on Islam's holy book, the Quran, near the Iraqi embassy in Sweden.
In a written statement released by the Foreign Ministry, Türkiye called on Sweden to take "deterrent measures" to prevent hate crimes targeting Islam and its billions of followers, emphasizing that such actions are part of its international responsibilities.
"Türkiye is ready to work together with the countries where such attacks take place in the fields of Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism and discrimination," read the statement.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has also taken action on the matter, engaging in separate discussions with his counterparts from Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Egypt over the phone.
The top diplomats deliberated on the mobilization of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and discussed joint measures to address the alarming rise of anti-Islam movements and hate crimes in Europe, according to a statement issued by the Turkish ministry.
The incident that sparked this diplomatic outrage occurred on July 20 when a group of Iraqis stormed Sweden's embassy in Baghdad, setting it ablaze in protest of the burning of a copy of the Quran last month by Salwan Momika, an Iraqi-born individual currently residing in Sweden.
In response to the attack on its embassy in Baghdad, Sweden's Foreign Ministry has condemned the act as a "serious violation" of the Vienna Convention and has launched an investigation into the matter. The situation took an even more concerning turn when, in the aftermath of the incident, Salwan Momika once again desecrated a copy of the Quran, this time in front of the Iraqi embassy in Sweden, by stepping on both the holy book and the Iraqi flag.
The incident happened after Iraq warned Sweden it could break diplomatic ties if such Quran desecrations happen again. Baghdad went through with the action, declaring Sweden’s envoy persona non grata after the holy book was desecrated for a second time in a month.
