The burning of holy books under the pretext of "freedom of speech" is unacceptable, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reiterated Saturday as another attack took place against the Quran amid increasing Islamophobia.
“It is unacceptable to allow attacks on the most sacred values of 2 billion people under the pretext of ‘freedom of speech’ almost every day,” Erdoğan said at a meeting with MIKTA (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, Türkiye and Australia) in the Indian capital New Delhi on the sidelines of G-20.
“We believe that everyone respecting humankind, from whichever faith they may come from, must protest this,” he added, saying that Türkiye would continue to voice its objections on the issue.
Erdoğan highlighted that international institutions must be more inclusive, representative, fair, transparent and effective.
“Entities like MIKTA bear high importance in this regard. As MIKTA countries, I believe that we can make constructive contributions to the fight against the food crisis that threatens the whole world. I hope our unity will support efforts to combat crises and new challenges."
MIKTA was established in 2013 as an intercontinental consultation and coordination platform. A grouping of Mexico, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Türkiye and Australia, the platform brings together five middle-power countries from diverse cultures and regions.
The president’s words came after an unidentified man desecrated the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish House (Türkevi), which houses Türkiye's diplomatic mission in New York City on Friday.
The man threw a copy of the Quran and kicked it outside the Turkish House.
The Quran was desecrated at 10:46 a.m. local time (2:46 p.m. GMT), Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Turkish House security personnel immediately exited the building, intervened and removed the person from the premises, which houses Türkiye's Consulate-General and the U.N. mission.
The Quran in question was an English translation.
Officials from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and the Diplomatic Security Unit (DSS) were informed about the incident.
A video circulating on social media shows a man throwing a book on the ground and trampling on it while shouting, "This is a Quran."
The incessant Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark under the pretext of "free speech" have sparked widespread protests in Muslim countries, including attacks on diplomatic missions.
The Danish and Swedish governments have condemned the burnings and are considering new laws that could stop them. But domestic critics say such decisions would undermine "freedom of speech."
Muslims view the Quran as the literal word of God and desecration of the holy book is deeply offensive resulting in protests in the Muslim world.
On the other hand, a leading Muslim group on Saturday condemned the desecration of the Quran outside the Turkish House.
"We condemn this apparent attempt to desecrate the Quran – a sacred text followed by millions of Americans – and ask religious and political leaders of all faiths and backgrounds to stand with the American Muslim community in repudiation of the growing bigotry and division we are witnessing nationwide," executive director of the New York chapter of the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), Afaf Nasher, said in a statement.
Nasher said CAIR-NY and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging white supremacy, anti-Jewish hate, anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and all other forms of bigotry.
