Sweden’s embassy in Iraq was stormed, the Pope is furious, the Islamic Conference Organization demands action and the Swedish Foreign Ministry says in a statement that the government condemns the action.
Many have reacted more strongly this time than at previous Koran burnings in Sweden. But the Foreign Ministry’s statement has also met with criticism.
– The government should not have opinions on the matter at all, says freedom of expression expert Nils Funcke DN.
Mohammad Fazlhashemi, professor of Islamic theology and philosophy at Uppsala University, disagrees:
– The latest Koran burning was a clear desecration. It took place on one of the main Muslim holidays, just a few meters from a mosque. The man tore pages out of the Koran, put bacon in it, lit it on fire and stomped on it. It was filmed and the clip went viral in Muslim countries.
Shows that the state is not behind it
It has created enormous anger in many Muslim countries.
– Therefore, it is not surprising that the Foreign Ministry has condemned the incident unusually harshly. The fact that you distance yourself shows that you have understood the seriousness, you can see that the reactions have increased.
It is also a way to highlight that the Swedish state is not behind, says Fazlhashemi:
– In official channels in Muslim countries, it appears that it is the state, not the police and courts, that gives permission for the Koran burnings. This may clarify how it is.
Questions remain
But it is also required that representatives of Sweden deal with other issues.
– A question I often get when I talk to people in Muslim countries is whether Sweden also defends the book burnings during Kristallnacht that the Nazis were guilty of. Why does Sweden distance itself from it but not from burning other books in the name of freedom of expression? Even people who are not very religious have a hard time making that equation work.