Pope Francis Condemns Holy Quran Desecration
Pope Francis expressed his anger and disgust over the desecration of the Holy Quran, and he rejected the idea of tolerating the act as a kind of free speech.
The pope’s remarks follow a desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, last week, which drew severe condemnation from a number of nations, including Turkey, whose support Sweden needs to join the Nato military alliance.
The pope stated this in an interview that was published on Monday in the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad. “Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it,”
The pope expressed his rage and contempt at these behaviours. Freedom of speech must never be used to denigrate others, and doing so is unacceptable and condemned.
While Swedish police have recently turned down multiple requests for anti-Quran protests, courts have overturned those judgements, stating they violated the right to free speech.
An Islamic alliance of 57 nations stated on Sunday that international law should be used to eliminate religious intolerance and that collective action is required to end acts of desecration of the Holy Quran.
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Saudi summons Swedish ambassador
State media stated early on Monday that Saudi Arabia has summoned Sweden’s envoy to express its outrage over the Holy Quran’s defilement.
The event has already been denounced by the kingdom, which is home to the most sacred sites in Islam.
In order to urge Sweden to “stop all actions that directly contradict international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism, and undermine the necessary mutual respect for relations between peoples and states,” the foreign ministry summoned the ambassador on Sunday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
The Holy Quran was desecrated just as Saudi Arabia was beginning Eidul Azha and wrapping off the Haj trip, which caused intense outrage.