Kuwait summons Swedish ambassador over desecration of Qur’an

“The deputy minister of foreign affairs handed the Swedish ambassador an official protest note containing the condemnation and denunciation of the State of Kuwait for the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist,” Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement said on Friday.

The Swedish ambassador is based in the United Arab Emirates.

Iran, the UAE, Morocco, Iraq and several other Islamic countries have already summoned Swedish diplomatic representatives.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has said the Muslim world will never overlook the recent act of sacrilege against the Holy Qur’an.

In a repeated and state-authorized instance of sacrilege against the Muslim holy book, two men stood outside the Swedish capital of Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday and burned a copy of the holy book following a go-ahead given to them by a Swedish court. The move was made to coincide 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.

The act of desecration has opened the floodgates of protest across the Muslim world.

Also in January, a Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist burned a copy of the Qur’an near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Separately on Friday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said it had received an apology letter from the Swedish government expressing “deep regret” over a Quran burning in Stockholm that sparked a backlash across the Muslim world.

The ministry said in a statement that the letter, which was sent from the Swedish Foreign Ministry to member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, said the Swedish government strongly rejects such anti-Islamic acts and it does not support or condone in any way the anti-Islamic views expressed by the man who burned the holy book. It was referring to Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi national living in Sweden who stomped on the Quran before setting several pages alight in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque. Swedish police had granted him a permit citing his right to free speech.

The Iraqi ministry said in the statement that it will continue to demand the Swedish government extradite the perpetrator of the “heinous act” so he can be punished in accordance with Iraqi law.