Turkey condemns Denmark's permit for burning of Koran

Turkey condemns Denmark's permit for burning of Koran
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Turkish Foreign Ministry has invited the European governments not to be bystanders for such “despicable” and “heinous” actions

Turkey has condemned Denmark for not preventing far-right politician Rasmus Paludan to burn another copy of Koran in Copenhagen on Friday, after committing the same act in Swedish capital Stockholm last week.

“We condemn in the strongest terms that the hate crime in Sweden against our holy book, the Quran, has been allowed to be committed again by the same Islam-hating charlatan in Copenhagen, Denmark today,” Turkish Foreign Ministry said.

Slamming the act as “despicable” and “heinous”, the ministry said it was worrying to see that it was not prevented despite Turkey’s all warnings.

“We remind the governments of their responsibilities, which remain indifferent in the face of these actions that marginalize Muslims, who are an integral part of European society and invite the governments not to be bystanders as the universal values they claim to defend are trampled,” it said.

Replicating the same act he committed in Sweden’s capital Stockholm on Saturday, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) has burned other copies of Koran in front of the Turkish Embassy and a mosque in Copenhagen on Friday.

Paludan who holds both Danish and Swedish citizenship, told Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet on Thursday that he would replicate his protest every Friday until Sweden is admitted into NATO, AP said.

According to Turkish Foreign Ministry, such incidents reveal the “dangerous dimensions of religious intolerance and hatred in Europe by abusing the so-called freedom atmosphere”.

“Tolerating such heinous acts that offend the sensitivities of millions of people in Europe threatens the practice of peaceful coexistence and provokes racist, xenophobic and anti-Islamic attacks which take place every day somewhere in Europe,” it said.

Following Paludan’s Thursday statements that he threatened to do the same thing on Friday, Turkish Foreign Ministry has summoned the Danish Ambassador to Ankara and condemned Denmark’s permission to the protest, saying that this attitude of Denmark is unacceptable.