The Koran burnings

Putin during the mosque visit. Gavriil Grigorov / AP  

 

The Koran burnings  

Putin seemed to poke Sweden during a visit to a mosque  

 

Russian President Putin appeared on Wednesday to give the go-ahead to the Koran burning in Stockholm, reports TV4 Nyheterna.  

 

During a visit to a mosque in the Dagestan region, Putin said he has respect for the Koran and Islam, according to Russian state news agency Tass. 

 

- We know they do it differently in other countries, they don't respect people's religious feelings and they also say it's not a crime.  

 

Furthermore, the president stated that Koran burning is a crime in Russia and that the country "will always follow that legislation." 

 

Salwan Momika burned a Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday. Stefan Jerrevång/TT 

 

"The Koran burnings should be seen as incitement against ethnic groups"  

 

The repeated Koran burnings in Sweden are clearly aimed at the Muslim minority and should be regarded as incitement against a ethnic group. This is what former state secretary Ulf Dahlsten writes on Aftonbladet's debate page. 

 

He writes that freedom of expression is often portrayed as absolute, but that this is not the case.  

 

"Burning the Koran once or maybe twice can possibly be considered an element of a discussion, but not the repeated burnings in places that challenge the Muslim minority," writes Dahlsten.  

 

In a debate article in DN, theology researcher Sameh Egyptson writes, on the other hand, that a ban on Koran burnings would favor the perception that the ethnic group "Muslims" are intolerant and do not accept freedom of expression.  

 

The man burned the Koran outside a mosque in central Stockholm. Stefan Jerrevång/TT   

 

The Koran burner is being investigated for incitement against a ethnic group 

 

Salwan Momika, who burned a Koran outside a mosque in Stockholm, is being investigated for incitement against a national group, the police say. Momika is also suspected of having violated the fire ban that prevails in Stockholm.  

 

After the demonstration, a person was also taken into custody by the police after throwing stones.  

 

The Koran burning was carried out at the same time as the celebration of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha in the mosque.