COPENHAGEN: Muslims in Denmark have told Arab News the burning of a Qur’an in neighboring Sweden by an Iraqi migrant was “deeply saddening,” “disturbing” and “concerning.”
Last month, Salwan Momika tore up and set alight a copy of the Qur’an outside Stockholm’s largest mosque, where many Muslims were celebrating the Eid Al-Adha holidays. The action drew widespread condemnation, notably from Middle Eastern countries.
The Swedish government condemned the act, labeling it “Islamophobic,” while the Saudi Arabia-based International Islamic Organization called for action to prevent future burning of the Muslim holy book.
Momika, an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, was granted a permit by Swedish police in accordance with the country’s laws of freedom of speech. However, his actions sparked outrage among Muslims in Sweden and around the world.
“It is very disrespectful and it hurts us,” Cemal Mathias Bay, a Dane who converted to Islam in 2020, told Arab News. “We don’t burn the Danish, Swedish or Norwegian flag, then why do they burn the holy book of Muslims?”
Since 2017, Qur’an burnings have occurred more frequently in Scandinavia. The Danish politician Rasmus Paludan and his far-right political party Stram Kurs have orchestrated several burnings of the holy book in Denmark and Sweden.
In 2019, Paludan burned a Qur’an in Denmark’s capital Copenhagen under police protection.
Momika was charged with agitation against an ethnic or national group for burning pages from the Qur’an within close proximity to Sweden’s main mosque.
However, Bay expressed disappointment at perceived “double standards,” saying that Qur’an burning is protected under freedom of speech laws, while pro-Palestine protests have been denied police protection.
He has also faced abuse in Denmark on various occasions.
“I was attacked and spat on while praying outside a restaurant on the highway by an elderly Danish man during the COVID-19 pandemic. The police refused to file a complaint because it was not a physical assault,” he said.
Urfan Zahoor Ahmed, a GP and family medicine specialist of Pakistani descent who was born and raised in Denmark, said he found the Qur’an burning “deeply saddening and concerning.”
He said: “It is a disturbing manifestation of hate and intolerance against Muslims, which goes against the principles of respect, unity and peaceful coexistence that we should strive for in our global community. Such actions erode mutual respect and understanding, and polarize the community by creating an environment of fear and hostility.”
Ahmed added that it was important to remember only a small fraction of the population commits these acts, and it does not represent the views of most Scandinavians, who are welcoming and tolerant.
“The reason behind these acts in Scandinavia is a combination of multiple factors. It could be the rising tide of anti-immigrant sentiments, the perceived threat of changing cultural landscape, the lack of understanding and knowledge about Islam and Muslims, and geopolitical reasons meant to prevent Sweden’s membership in NATO,” he said.
“This incident was a reminder that we must continue working on mutual dialogue and understanding, and dispel the misconceptions about Islam,” he added.
Saudi Arabia summoned Sweden’s ambassador on Monday in response to the incident, urging Stockholm to “stop all actions that 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.”
