Iraq’s Kurdistan officials slam Qur’an desecration in Sweden, demand recall of envoys by Muslim nations

Kurdish authorities in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region have vehemently condemned the recent desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden, with one senior official calling on Muslim countries to recall their ambassadors over the blasphemous move.

The condemnation came after Iraqi authorities categorically censured the burning of the sacred Muslim book by an immigrant outside a mosque in the Swedish capital as the heinous act sparked widespread criticism across the Islamic world.

Ghiyath al-Surji, one of the leaders of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), described as “futile” the issuance of statements in condemnation of the desecration of the Qur’an, and called on Muslim countries to recall their ambassadors from Sweden as the offensive move is repeated in the Nordic country.

“This is not the first time that the burning of the Holy Qur’an and an insult to Islamic sanctities has happened in Sweden … it has been repeated several times, so such provocative measures against the Muslim sentiments should be barred,” Surji said.

“Issuing statements in condemnation of such actions is of no use and will not prevent their recurrence, so Islamic countries should take a firm stand by recalling their ambassadors from the Swedish capital in protest at the Swedish authorities permitting defamation of sacred and religious beliefs,” he added.

Masoud Barzani, the leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), condemned the desecration of the holy Muslim book, saying, “The despicable act of burning the Holy Qur'an does not serve as an example of freedom of thought and speech in any way and cannot be justified whatsoever.”

Iraq calls on Sweden to extradite immigrant who burned Qur’an

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry has called on Sweden to extradite the Iraqi man who publicly burned a copy of Qur’an outside a Stockholm mosque.

President of Iraqi Kurdistan region Nechirvan Barzani also condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and called it “horrific and repugnant.”

“This act causes hatred and violence in society and is a threat to peaceful coexistence and pacifism,” Barzani added.

Masrour Barzani, the prime minister of the Kurdistan region, also condemned the act in a message and called for respect for all holy books and prevention of actions that undermine coexistence.

On Wednesday, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant stomped on the Qur'an before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm's largest mosque. The insult to the Muslim holy book was made under the authorization and protection of the Swedish police. 

The incident, coinciding with the start of the Muslim Eid al-Adha and the end of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, drew the anger of Muslims from across the world.

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