Upon the invitation of Turkey, members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened in Jeddah on January 31 to condemn the recent burning and desecration of the Quran in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The OIC member states also called on these countries to take effective action to prevent a recurrence of “Islamophobic attacks.“
“[The OIC] [s]trongly condemns the recent despicable aggressions against the Holy Qu’ran Al-Kareem in Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark, and calls upon the respective governments to take effective actions to prevent recurrence of these vile acts,” the final communiqué of the extraordinary meeting said.
Rasmus Paludan, a politician from Sweden’s far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on January 21. A day later the Quran was torn up by the leader of the right-wing, anti-Islamist Pegida group at a small demonstration in The Hague. On January 28, Paludan burned another Quran in Denmark.
“[The OIC] [e]ncourages Muslims who hold citizenship of those countries where Islamophobic attacks against the Holy Quran Al-Kareem and other sacred values take place, to resort to local courts and exhaust domestic remedies,” the communiqué said.
Protests have taken place across in Turkey and other Muslim countries since the Quran burning in Stockholm.
Several OIC countries have condemned the burning of the Quran, saying it provokes Muslims throughout the world and offends them.
