Muslims decry repeated Quran burnings, desecration in Western countries

Muslims, worldwide, have condemned the desecration and burning of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden, asserting that these attacks cannot be justified by freedom of expression, Anadolu Agency reports.

In response to the rising incidents of Quran desecration in Western countries, Anadolu spoke with locals from Iran, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon and Palestine who took to the streets condemning the act.

Yusuf Abu Sunayne, a preacher of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Occupied East Jerusalem, said: “The Book of Allah has been preserved in the hearts of Muslims; no matter what they do, no matter how much they hate, no matter how many opportunities they look to attack, the Book of Allah will guide Muslims in the East and West.”

He went on to say: “We can only describe these people who burn the holy book as ignorant.”

READ: Woman tries to stop Quran Burning in Denmark

“From this pure land of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, we would like to express our gratitude to our Muslim brothers who oppose these actions and take a stance befitting them, and to Arab and Islamic countries such as Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and the Gulf countries,” he added.

‘Arrest and punish perpetrators’

Mehdiye Rahmani, a resident of Iran, said as a Muslim she strongly condemns the actions.

“I condemn the disrespect and burning of the Quran in Denmark, Sweden and elsewhere. I am against such things,” she said.

“I want the Danish and Swedish governments to arrest and punish those who insult our religious scripture,” she added.

Another Iranian resident, Satin Zuhrevend, said no Muslim can accept these attacks.

“We need to respect each other’s rights all over the world. Since we are Muslims, we need to be aware of each other and take care of each other,” he said.

In Iraq, Alaa Khudair stressed the burning of the Quran is an attack on Islam.

“The goal of these attacks is to destroy Islamic culture. The Iraqi government should cut diplomatic and economic relations with Sweden,” he said

Rahil Halaf, another Iraqi citizen, said Muslims should unite against the desecration of Quran.

READ: Sweden minister: Quran burnings damage security, country’s image

Break off ties

Suleyman Mahmudi, a resident of Algeria, said: “The Christian world has always been hostile to Islam. Now they are making excuses with freedom of expression.”

Saying that such attacks cannot be justified, Mahmudi said: “They continue their hostility all over the world under the guise of freedom of expression.”

Another Algerian national, Murad Bualam, described the burning of Quran in Denmark as a “great tragedy”.

Ahmed Al-Rami from Beirut, Lebanon, called for a united action by Muslims.

Another Lebanese, Omar Khatib, said: “We reject the burning of the Quran and we absolutely do not accept it. This book is our holy book.”

For his part, Palestinian Walid Mohammed Huraym, 72, asserted that the statements of condemnation against the attacks on the Quran are not enough.

“All Arab and Islamic countries need to cut their diplomatic and commercial relations with Sweden so that no one dares to burn the Quran or insult the Prophet Muhammad,” he said.

”Apart from the crime of burning the Quran, our Prophet was insulted before. Condemnation is not enough. What happens when you condemn them? The burning of the book of Allah by these people is an insult to one and a half billion Muslims,” he said.

READ: Turkiye welcomes UN General Assembly’s resolution deploring desecration of Holy Books