Riyadh: Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has voiced the kingdom’s rejection of all attempts to desecrate the Islamic holy book of the Quran and demanded immediate measures to stop such “extremist acts of violence” that offended Muslims.
During a phone call that Faisal received from his Swedish counterpart Tobias Billstrom on Friday, the Saudi top diplomat said that the burning of the Quran incited religious hatred and undermined inter-civilizational dialogue, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Saturday.
Billstrom expressed his country’s denunciation and condemnation of the burning of the Quran.
The Swedish top diplomat “expressed his deep sorrow” over some people’s “flagrant exploitation” of the Swedish constitution, adding that Sweden is trying to put an end to all acts of violence against and desecration of religions and holy books, according to the report.
Several instances of Quran desecration took place in Sweden this year, the most notable of which occurred on June 28, when an Iraqi refugee set fire to pages of the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque. On July 20, the Iraqi refugee stomped on the Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm.
UNI/XINHUA
