Jordan: protesters burn Swedish flag in front of embassy

Dozens of Jordanians protested in front of the Swedish Embassy in Amman on Monday evening and condemned Sweden for allowing a far-right extremist to burn a copy of the Holy Qur’an on Saturday in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Al-Quds Al-Arabi has reported. The protesters set fire to the Swedish flag and images of the extremist, Rasmus Paludan, and insisted that attacking items held sacred by others is not “freedom of expression” as has been claimed.

The protest was organised by the Islamic Action Front, which expressed its anger at the “heinous crime” permitted by the Swedish authorities. They demanded that the Jordanian government should deliver a strong message to Sweden.

READ: 41 Kuwait MPs call to boycott Sweden over extremist’s burning of Holy Qur’an

The secretary general of the Islamic Action Front, Murad Al-Adayleh, said that what the Danish-Swedish politician did with the consent of the government in Stockholm was an affront to the world’s Muslims. “The Qur’an,” he pointed out, “is not just a book. It is our constitution.” He demanded an apology from the Swedish government as he threatened a possible boycott of Swedish goods.

His words were echoed in speeches by party secretary Thabit Assaf and Yanal Freihat MP. “They try to undermine the Holy Qur’an only because they know its importance in the renaissance of the Islamic world and its sovereignty,” added Freihat.

The Speaker of the Jordanian parliament, Ahmed Safadi, called the Qur’an burning an “extremist act” and demanded that Jordan’s foreign ministry should seek an “immediate apology” from its Swedish counterpart.

READ: Russia slams NATO chief’s response to burning copy of Holy Qur’an in Sweden