An Iranian protester holds the Quran in her hand during a protest against a man who burned a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital Stockholm, in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran, Iran June 30, 2023. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.
Saudi Arabia summoned Denmark’s charge d’affaires in the Kingdom over a recent public exhibition of Quran burning, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday.
According to the ministry, the Kingdom gave the Danish diplomat with a protest note calling for an end to such acts that “violate religious norms, laws, and international norms.”
Saudi Arabia, the statement added, rejects of all actions that encourage and fuel religious hatred.
Public burning of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark has sparked outrage among many Muslim countries that have called on authorities in the respective nations to take serious measures to prevent such actions.
A group of anti-Islam activists have set fire to the Quran in front of the Iraqi, Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen after an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden burned the Quran last month.
Last week, Saudi Arabia had also summoned the Swedish charge d’affaires in the country to condemn the burning and desecration of the Quran. The ministry also handed the official a protest note calling on the Swedish authorities “to take immediate and necessary measures to stop these disgraceful acts.”
On Thursday, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) announced that an extraordinary virtual session for the Council of Foreign Ministers of Member States will be held on Monday, July 31.
OIC said on Twitter that the session was requested by Saudi Arabia and Iraq in order to discuss these repeated incidents.
