Dubai — Saudi Arabia condemned the burning of the Quran and the Turkish flag on Friday in Denmark by xenophobic fanatics.
Together with the Kingdom, Jordan, Kuwait, and Qatar condemned the extremists’ actions, saying that they incited hatred of Muslims, especially during the holy month of Ramadan.
A far-right anti-Muslim group called Patrioterne Gar Facebook users carried signs with anti-Islamic messages and set fire to the Turkish flag and a copy of the Qur’an in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry referred to the incident as a “hate crime”, declaring that it would never accept such “vile actions being allowed under the pretense of freedom of expression”, according to the Turkish daily Daily Sabah.
The Kuwait Foreign Ministry issued a statement warning that the burning of the Quran ran the risk of inciting a violent retaliation from Muslims around the world.
In order to ensure that “freedom of expression is not utilized to harm Islam or any other religion”, the ministry asked for the culprits to be held accountable.
And Qatar denounced the burning of a copy of the Quran in the “strongest terms”, stating that it was the latest occurrence in a “dangerous escalation” of attacks against Muslims.
The burning of the Quran in the name of freedom of speech, according to the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “threatens the values of peaceful coexistence and displays disgusting double standards”.
Qatar’s condemnation of “any types of hate speech based on belief, race, or religion” was reiterated by the ministry.
To “reject intolerance, prejudice, instigation, and violence, underscoring the significance of respecting the principles of dialogue and mutual understanding”, the Qatari foreign ministry issued a statement.
