International Desk: Pope Francis has expressed his anger and displeasure over the burning of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. He expressed his feelings in an interview given to the UAE newspaper Al-Ittihad. According to the report in Arab News, the incident of burning the holy book of Muslims, the Quran, caused the Pope extreme grief. Moreover, besides condemning such activities in the name of independence, he also rejected such behavior. “Any book considered sacred should be respected,” the Pope said.
I feel angry and disgusted by such actions. Allowing the burning of the Quran in the name of freedom of speech is in no way acceptable. Freedom of expression should not be used as an excuse to disturb others. The head of the world Catholic community said, “Our goal is to respect the religious feelings of every person and to treat everyone in a cooperative and fraternal manner.” Recently, the Swedish government allowed a program to desecrate the Holy Quran during protests in Stockholm.
In continuation of this, on the day of Eid-ul-Azha on June 28, Salman Momika, an immigrant from Iraq, stood in front of the mosque and burned the Quran. At that time, law enforcement officers were standing by. There have been cases of state-sponsored burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden before.
But this time the incident happened around Eid-ul-Azha, when millions of Muslims are performing Hajj in the holy city of Mecca. Meanwhile, the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden and the silent role of the local administration have sparked global condemnation and protests. The Islamic Republic of Iran summoned the Swedish Charge d’Affaires stationed in Tehran to protest the incident.
In addition, condemnation and protest are going on in the whole Arab world and other Muslim countries. Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, and Palestine have all condemned Quran burning.
