Iran protests to Sweden, Denmark over Quran desecrations

Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the charge d'affaires of Sweden and Denmark separately on Sunday to address the ongoing desecration of the Holy Quran, according to state media reports.

The director of the human rights department at the ministry condemned the "brazen and heinous acts" of insulting the Muslim holy book in both European countries. The official referred to a recent statement by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who deemed "supporting criminals and desecrators of the Holy Quran a form of war against the Islamic world."

He emphasized that while freedom of expression is important, it comes with "certain duties and responsibilities." The envoys were urged to uphold their international obligations as outlined in articles 19 and 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Sweden and Denmark have recently experienced a series of Quran burnings carried out by far-right extremists, often under the protection of government forces. These actions have ignited significant backlash across the Muslim world.

In the most recent incident, Swedish anti-Islam activist Salwan Momika organized a Quran burning protest near the Iranian embassy in Stockholm, during which he was confronted by a woman.

Iran had previously summoned representatives from both European countries in mid-July.

The Danish ambassador was summoned on July 22, a day after a far-right protester set fire to a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen. The ambassador was summoned again on Aug. 7 following a recurrence of Quran burning in Denmark.

Similarly, the Swedish envoy was summoned on July 21, with ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani asserting that Stockholm is "fully responsible for the consequences of provoking the sentiments of Muslims" due to the desecration of the Muslim holy book.

In early July, Iran announced its decision not to appoint a new ambassador to Sweden following the conclusion of the previous envoy's term. This decision was in response to the desecration of the Holy Quran in the Swedish capital. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian revealed this decision in a tweet, attributing the halt to the "process of sending the new ambassador" to Sweden to the Swedish government's issuance of a permit allowing the Quran's desecration.