Turkey criticizes Islamophobic event in Sweden

Turkey has condemned an Islamophobic event staged in Sweden where a group of terrorists burned the Holy Qur’an.

The leader of an anti-Islamic group Tight Direction (Stram Kurs), Rasmus Paludan, with his supporters burned the Quran on Friday evening.

Turkish Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Saturday, said, “We strongly condemn the hideous provocations by an Islamophobic and racist politician and his followers who came to Denmark from Sweden’s Malmo city.”

After the footage emerged on the internet, anti-racist groups in Malmo reacted to the incident and the activists who blocked the traffic and burned tires on the road.

The police detained three people who burned the Qur’an while Danish racist leader Paludan has been banned from entering Sweden for two years.

“These provocative acts are a heavy blow to the culture of coexistence and European values,” the statement says.

Stressing that Muslims living in Europe have been systematically exposed to discriminatory and racist attitudes in their daily lives, the statement says, “This despicable act against our holy book is an exemplary act, as it reveals the extent to which the threat Muslims face in Europe has come.”

The statement also underscores that the Swedish authorities did not allow the demonstration against the Quran and imposed a ban on the so-called politician on August 28,2020.

The ministry further said that the Swedish authorities should take all necessary measures against those who act to provoke Muslims in the country in the future.