Sweden police grant permit for ‘Qur’an burning protest’

STOCKHOLM: Swedish police have granted a permit for a protest outside parliament on Monday in which the organizers plan to burn the Qur’an, according to local media.
The protesters told media they wanted to see the Muslim holy book banned in Sweden.
“I will burn it many times, until you ban it,” organizer Salwan Najem told Expressen newspaper.
Najem had joined Iraqi refugee Salwan Momika at two previous such protests in Stockholm — outside the city’s main mosque and later outside Iraq’s embassy.
The protest was scheduled for 1:00 p.m. (1100 GMT) on Monday, according to the police permit.
Sweden has seen its diplomatic relations with several Middle Eastern nations strained over previous protests involving Qur’an desecrations.
AFP requested a copy of the application in addition to the permit from police, but did not immediately get a response.
Swedish police have previously stressed they only grant permits for people to hold public gatherings and not for the activities conducted during the events.
In late June, Momika, 37, set pages of the Qur’an alight outside Stockholm’s main mosque.
A month later, he staged a similar protest outside the Iraqi embassy, stomping on the Qur'an but leaving before burning it.
Both incidents led to widespread outrage and condemnations.
Last week, Sweden ordered 15 government bodies including the armed forces, several law enforcement agencies and the tax office to strengthen anti-terrorism efforts.
On Sunday, neighboring Denmark said it would explore legal means of stopping protests involving the burning of holy texts, citing security concerns following backlash over incidents that saw the Qur'an desecrated in the country.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said a similar process was already underway.
Swedish and Danish envoys have been summoned in a slew of Middle Eastern nations.
Saudi Arabia and Iraq have called for a meeting, expected to be held on Monday, of the Jeddah-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to address Qur'an desecrations in both Sweden and Denmark.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said Monday he had been in contact with several of his counterparts among the 57 member states of the organization ahead of the meeting.
In a statement, Billstrom explained that he had informed them about the process for granting permits for public gatherings in Sweden, and that police made such decisions independently.
“I have also reiterated that the government is very clear in its rejection of the Islamophobic acts carried out by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden,” Billstrom said.