Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote a letter to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday after Swedish authorities approved an assembly to be held outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organizers planned to burn a copy of the Qur’an but did not dare to burn it as they had threatened to do.
“The regrettable reports of desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden has seriously harmed the feelings and emotions of the world’s Muslim community and the followers of divine religions and has increased the concern caused by these actions,” reads the letter published on Thursday.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran, while strongly condemning the authorization of the Swedish authorities for this derogatory and provocative action against the Holy Qur’an – the holy book of the Muslims of the world – which occurs for the second time in the past month, strongly warns that repeating such actions under the guise of freedom of speech is a clear insult to all Muslims and is done with the aim of Islamophobia and promoting extremism,” it added.
“Undoubtedly, issuing a license to insult the Qur’an or any holy book of divine religions, both originate from the same thinking, which pursues Islamophobia and de-Islamization under the guise of freedom of speech and will bring irreparable consequences, including the spread of hatred, violence, and xenophobia in different societies,” reads the letter.
“Such actions will ultimately expose the peace and peaceful coexistence of the followers of different divine religions to serious risks.”
“I request your Excellency, while immediately condemning this action, to take the necessary measures as soon as possible to prevent the recurrence and dangerous consequences of this insulting and provocative phenomenon and ask the member states of the United Nations to deal severely with the perpetrators of this act,” it concluded.
RHM/Iran Press