Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop strongly condemned the ongoing incidents involving the burning of the Quran by far-right supporters in rallies in Sweden, as he said racists are getting a free pass under the guise of freedom of expression to spread Islamophobic and racist policies.
“We’re witnessing a period when anti-Muslim and racist policies are carried out under the cover of freedom of expression,” Şentop told a meeting Tuesday with diplomats of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s parliamentary union members in Ankara.
He continued by saying that he strongly condemns disrespectful acts against the Quran in Sweden, as he urged all countries and global institutions to take a “principled stance” against such attacks and take necessary precautions to prevent them, as such hostility threatens world peace.
The burning of a copy of the Muslim holy book Quran by far-right extremists sparked riots in several Swedish towns over the Easter weekend.
Turkey on Monday strongly condemned the attacks and provocations against Islam around the world during the holy month of Ramadan, singling out an Islamophobic incident in Sweden in which a far-right politician burned the Muslim holy book, the Quran. Ankara called on all countries and international organizations to take the necessary measures to combat Islamophobia and racism.
Iraq's Foreign Ministry had summoned on Sunday Sweden's charge d'affaires, Hakan Rooth, over the burning of the Quran. The ministry had warned that the burning "bears grave implications on Sweden's relations with all Muslims."
Turkish officials have criticized their Western counterparts for remaining indifferent to anti-Muslim sentiment and fueling the ideology, while experts believe Turkey can lead the fight against it. Turkey has continuously called on world leaders to take action to stop the demonization of Muslims and has been taking action to tackle the growing problem.
Some European governments work hard to track and neutralize far-right terrorist groups. On the other hand, they participate in the normalization of Islamophobic conversations in Europe through discriminative declarations, bills and security policies targeting Muslims. Moreover, mainstream media and private institutions are also responsible for anti-Muslim feelings as they continuously spread disinformation that harms the Muslim community.
