Turkey condemns Islamophobic incident in Sweden

ANKARA

Turkey on Saturday vehemently condemned an Islamophobic incident in Sweden where a group of neo-fascist politicians burned the Muslim holy book Quran.

"We strongly condemn the hideous provocations by an Islamophobic and racist politician and his followers who came to Denmark from Sweden's Malmo city,” Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the anti-Islamic group Tight Direction (Stram Kurs), along with his supporters burned the Quran on Friday evening.

After the footage emerged on the internet, anti-racist groups in Malmo reacted to the incident and the activists who blocked the traffic and burned tires on the road.

The police detained three people who burned the Quran.

Danish racist leader Paludan was banned from entering Sweden for two years.

“These provocative acts are a heavy blow to the culture of coexistence and European values,” the Foreign Ministry statement added.

Stressing that Muslims living in Europe have been systematically exposed to discriminatory and racist attitudes in their daily lives, the statement said: “This despicable act against our holy book is an exemplary act, as it reveals the extent to which the threat Muslims face in Europe has come.”

The statement also underscored that the Swedish authorities did not allow the demonstration against the Quran and imposed a ban on the so-called politician on Aug. 28.

The ministry further said that the Swedish authorities should take all necessary measures against those who act to provoke Muslims in the country in the future.