In a statement published on Wednesday 26 July, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, condemned the burning of copies of the Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark.
He “firmly” rejected any form of incitement to hatred and called for respect for all religious communities. “The desecration of the Qur’an, or of any other book considered holy, is offensive, disrespectful and a clear provocation. Expressions of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in the European Union,” he insisted.
Autodafés in Sweden and Denmark
At the end of June, on the first day of Eid al-Adha, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden burnt pages of the Qur’an outside a mosque in Stockholm. Last week, he organised a rally outside the Iraqi embassy, where he trampled on a new copy.
In Denmark, the far-right Danske Patrioter party has been staging rallies outside the embassies of Muslim countries in recent days, burning pages of a book resembling the Qur’an and trampling on flags.
“These acts committed by individual provocateurs only benefit those who want to divide us and our societies”, Mr Borrell hammered home in his statement.
A diplomatic crisis
However, these events have led to a diplomatic crisis between the two Member States and various other countries. Demonstrations have shaken parts of Beirut as well as Iraq and Iran, culminating in the burning of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad (see EUROPE 13214/30).
In Iraq, the Swedish ambassador has been expelled and Danish and Swedish diplomatic personnel repatriated. Iran, for its part, has stated that it will no longer accept Swedish ambassadors until “concrete measures” are taken to prevent any further desecration of the Qur’an.
Finally, Algeria and Egypt have summoned diplomatic representatives and Kuwait has said it is working to hold an “urgent meeting” of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. (Original version in French by Hélène Seynaeve)