Iraq applauds Denmark's resolution criminalizing Quran burning

The statement came after a phone call between Hussein and his counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

Kurdistan 24 2023/08/26 20:20

Flag of Iraq (left) next to Denmark flag. (Photo: Designed by Kurdistan 24)

Iraq Quran burning Denmark Fuad Hussein Lars Lokke Rasmussen

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein praised the Danish government's decision to criminalize the burning of the Holy Quran, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The statement came after a phone call between Hussein and his counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen.

The Iraqi FM welcomed the Danish government's move, adding that it preserves the status and respect of these holy books that are revered in many societies around the globe.

He reaffirmed that the Iraqi government affirmed its respect for freedom of expression as stipulated in the Danish constitution, but that desecration of holy texts severely tarnishes Danish foreign affairs and its reputation among Islamic countries.

Furthermore, he stated that the burning of the Quran fuels hatred, perpetuates estrangement between human societies, and threatens peaceful coexistence.

Hussein also hoped that the new Danish legislation would be approved soon.

In the summer of 2023, far-right protesters and Islamophobic agitators on various occasions burned copies of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden. Blasphemy laws were abolished in Denmark in 2017, one of the most secular countries in the world. As with Sweden, there are no laws prohibiting blasphemy.

Salwan Momika, 37, a member of the Iraqi diaspora community in Sweden, set the Quran’s pages ablaze on July 28. This was as Muslims around the world marked the first day of the Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) holiday.

Fayaq Zedan, the head of Iraq’s Judicial Council, directed the public prosecutor to take the necessary legal measures to “extradite” the Iraqi national from the Nordic country.

On June 30, an Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesperson told Kurdistan 24 that the Swedish ambassador to Baghdad had been summoned. He was asked to take legal action against the individual who burned the Quran in Stockholm.

Also, Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist Movement, called to declare the Swedish Ambassador to Iraq a persona non grata and to sever ties with Sweden, which he described as “hostile to Islam” and a supporter of “immorality,” according to a statement he shared on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.