Hezbollah firmly denounced on Thursday burning of the holy Quran in Stockholm, lashing out at Swedish authorities for being “complicit in such crime.”

In a statement, Hezbollah Media Relations stressed that continuous desecration of Quran in Sweden and other countries is unacceptable, warning that the Lebanese resistance group won’t keep mum on such violations.

“Swedish authorities are complicit and partners in this crime as they greenlighted such move despite the fact that they previously knew about the perpetrators’ intention to desecrate the holy Quran.”

“Swedish Government has to stop this grim downward trajectory instead of arguing about the so-called ‘freedom of speech’ and other bombastic mottos,” read the Hezbollah statement, carried by Al-Manar.

The Lebanese resistance group, meanwhile, called on Muslim governments and bodies to take all appropriate moves “in order to prevent the repetition of such follies and to put an end to hatred speech.”

Earlier on Wednesday, two men and burned a copy of the Quran outside the Swedish capital of Stockholm’s central mosque, in a repeated and state-authorized instance of sacrilege against the Muslim holy book.

The move came following a go-ahead given to them by a Swedish court. It also coincided with the Muslim festivity of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), which marks the conclusion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage that is partaken by millions of Muslims from across the world.

Muslim Countries Decry Desecration of Quran

The Quran burning in Stockholm drew wide condemnations by Arab and Muslim countries.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran outside Stockholm Central Mosque.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Thursday, in which it strongly condemned the move as unacceptable.

#بيان | تعرب وزارة الخارجية عن إدانة واستنكار المملكة العربية السعودية الشديدين لإقدام أحد المتطرفين بحرق نسخة من المصحف الشريف عند مسجد ستوكهولم المركزي في السويد بعد صلاة عيد الأضحى المبارك pic.twitter.com/NtdRevqSoN

— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) June 28, 2023

“These hateful and repeated acts cannot be accepted with any justification, as they clearly incite hatred, exclusion, and racism, and directly contradict international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism, and undermine the necessary mutual respect for relations between peoples and states,” the statement read.

For its part, Iran lashed out at the government of Sweden for granting consent to desecration of the Muslim holy book.

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani denounced in the strongest terms the Swedish government’s “move to authorize the repetition of such act of sacrilege by Sweden-based Islamophobes, who have similarly insulted the holy book on several occasions in the past.”

“Acts of insult against holy books serve as an instance of inclination towards aggression and hatemongering, and counter authentic human rights values,” the spokesperson noted, as quoted by Tasnim news agency.

Stockholm, he concluded, “is advised to prevent the repetition of acts of insult against international sanctities in the future, and pay serious attention to the principles of responsibility and accountability in this regard.”

Turkey also denounced the desecration of holy Quran, with speculations that Stockholm’s move to greenlight the anti-Islam move may jeopardize Sweden’s bid to join NATO before the bloc’s key summit in July.

Turkey’s foreign minister condemned the protest on Wednesday, calling it a “heinous act.”

“It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression. To turn a blind eye to such heinous acts is to be complicit in them,” Hakan Fidan said in a statement.

The Turkish government’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun added in a tweet: “We are sick and tired of enabling of Islamophobia and continued instances of hatred for our religion on the part of European authorities especially in Sweden.”

There has occurred yet another disgusting and despicable act of Quran burning in Sweden on our most holy day.

We are sick and tired of enabling of Islamophobia and continued instances of hatred for our religion on the part of European authorities especially in Sweden.

Those who…

— Fahrettin Altun (@fahrettinaltun) June 28, 2023

Lebanese Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, condemned the move in strongest terms, stressing that this “repeated act is an aggression on Muslim sanctities and a provocation to their feelings.”

Morocco, for its part, summoned the Chargé d’Affairs of the Embassy of Sweden in Rabat, and the Ambassador of the Moroccan King in Stockholm for consultations in the wake of the provocative move in Stockholm.

“This act of hostility is irresponsible and shows disregard to the feelings of more than a billion Muslims in this holy period that coincides with the Hajj season and Eid Al-Adha,” a circular distributed by the Embassy of Morroco in Lebanon stated on Thursday.

Syria has condemned in the strongest terms the disgraceful act of insulting the Holy Quran on the morning of Eid al-Adha by an extremist with the permission and approval of the Swedish government.

“The Syrian Arab Republic condemns in the strongest terms the disgraceful act of insulting the Holy Quran in the morning of the holiest day for millions of Muslims by an extremist with the permission and approval of the Swedish government,” an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry said in a statement to SANA.

“This crime, apart from offending the feelings of millions of Muslims and the sentiments of love and respect between religions, unequivocally illustrates the immoral level to which Western governments have descended, and the hypocrisy and lies of the values they claim, which have not been reached even by the most extreme groups that are very far from the humanitarian and spiritual values”, the sources added.

The source added that “Western governments, which suffer from the complex of civilizational superiority, must stop spreading and fueling feelings of hatred among peoples, and know that the freedom of some stops at the limits of others’ freedom and the respect for their feelings, and therefore they cannot in any way justify their crime by attacking the Holy Quran.”

The Russian State Duma voted on Thursday to condemn the Swedish authorities’ permitting of a demonstration in Stockholm at which the Quran was burned on the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.

“State Duma members resolutely condemn yet another act of desecration, which was approved by the Swedish authorities, and call on them to take measures to prevent any human rights violations or insults to the religious feelings of Muslims,” the lower house of Russia’s parliament said in a statement.

According to the statement, such actions “may incite extremist manifestations as they grossly violate the goals and principles of the United Nations Charter.”

Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin had previously initiated the drafting of such a statement. The senior Russian lawmaker expressed the opinion that parliamentarians should not refrain from discussing the issue, as long as European nations “infringe on fundamental human rights.” He denounced the violation of believers’ rights on the festive day for Muslims, calling it inadmissible. “Can you imagine this happening in enlightened Europe, as they are so fond of calling it?” he asked rhetorically.

Source: Al-Manar English Website