Washington considered it an “insulting act.” Moscow condemns and demands action against extremists
America and Russia describe the burning of the Noble Qur’an as a “provocative act”
Protests in Turkey against the burning of the Noble Qur’an.
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The United States and Russia described the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist right-wing activist in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, as a “provocative act.” Washington considered the incident “extremely insulting,” while Moscow demanded action against extremists.
The far-right activist, Rasmus Paludan, burned the Holy Qur’an in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, last Saturday, which sparked widespread anger and condemnation in the Arab, Islamic and international arenas.
The United States believed that the far-right activist's burning of a copy of the Holy Qur'an may be a target for unity within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), with Ankara again excluding support for Stockholm's efforts to join the alliance.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters, "The burning of books considered sacred to many is an extremely humiliating and abhorrent act," describing the incident as "disgusting and abhorrent."
Price considered that "burning the Qur'an was the act of a person aiming at provocation, and may have deliberately sought to distance two close allies, Turkey and Sweden."
And he indicated that he “may have deliberately sought to influence the ongoing discussions regarding the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.”
For its part, Russia condemned the incident, and its Foreign Ministry expressed in a statement on its official website Moscow's condemnation and rejection of the burning of the Holy Quran by extremists in Stockholm under the pretext of freedom of expression, calling for action against extremists.
"We condemn and reject such criminal actions, and we call for action against extremists," said Gennady Askaldovich, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Special Representative for Cooperation in Respecting the Right to Freedom of Religion.
In a statement, the Religious Administration of Russia's Muslims condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur'an in Sweden, describing this act as provocative and sabotage, and called on Muslims to show wisdom and not to succumb to incitement to ethnic strife.
In addition, an Iraqi policeman and seven demonstrators were injured in clashes that took place during a demonstration that took place in front of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, the day before yesterday, to protest against the burning of a copy of the Qur'an in Stockholm, according to a security source.
A source in the Iraqi Ministry of Interior told AFP that between 400 and 500 demonstrators participated in the protest, and gathered in front of the headquarters of the diplomatic mission of Sweden. According to Agence France-Presse, the demonstrators later dispersed.
In the city of Al-Bab, the largest city in northern Syria, hundreds of people demonstrated. The demonstrators burned the Swedish flag and chanted anti-Swedish slogans.
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