He says it was particularly offensive that last week’s Koran burning took place in front of a mosque.
– It was tragic and very troublesome that it happened during the Eid al-Adha holiday.
One of the people behind the new applications for permission to burn the Koran also wants to do it in front of a mosque.
– It does no good, no one benefits from it, it only has negative consequences for society, says Mahmoud Khalif.
“Creates contradictions and conflicts”
He emphasizes that he respects freedom of expression.
– But if there is political will, you can find reasons to stop this tragedy.
Last week’s Koran burning has provoked strong reactions in the outside world. Among other things, people protested in Iraq last week and Pakistan has called for a nationwide protest on Friday. The Swedish Foreign Ministry also condemned the act and called it Islamophobic, something that was met with criticism from freedom of expression experts.
On Wednesday, the World Jewish Congress (WJC) also condemned the incident, reports TT.
“Burning religious texts is a clear act of hatred and a fundamental attack on all people of faith,” Ronald Lauder, president of the WJC, said in a statement.
The UN holds an emergency meeting
Mahmoud Khalif at Stockholm’s mosque hopes that the strong reactions from the outside world will lead to Swedish politicians stopping further burnings. If it is not stopped, he worries about the consequences for Sweden.
– You create contradictions and conflicts.
On Wednesday, the UN Human Rights Council also announced that the special meeting on “Koran burnings in Europe” will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, July 11. This after a request for a meeting was received by the Council from Pakistan, on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).