The Koran burnings

Koranbränningarna

Påve Franciskus känner ”avsky” för koranbränning

Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square in Rome. Andrew Medichini / AP  

 

Pope Francis feels "disgust" for Koran burning  

 

Pope Francis feels "disgust" at Koran burnings, writes Reuters. 

 

- Freedom of speech should never be used to oppress others, allowing it should be condemned, he says in an interview with the Arab Emirati newspaper Al Ittihad.  

 

Last week, a Koran burning was carried out in Stockholm, which has provoked strong reactions internationally. Among other things, an association of 57 Muslim countries has demanded measures for protection against desecration of the Koran. 

 

The Koran burning coincided with the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha and the end of the annual pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia. Amr Nabil / AP  

 

Saudi Arabia summons Sweden's ambassador  

 

Saudi Arabia has summoned Sweden's ambassador due to last week's Koran burning in Stockholm, reports Saudi state media according to AFP.  

 

The message from Saudi Arabia is that Sweden must "stop all actions that directly oppose international efforts to spread values of tolerance and reject extremism [...]".  

 

Saudi Arabia has previously been one of the countries that has condemned the burning of the Koran.  

 

Sweden's Minister of Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström (M). Anders Wiklund/TT  

 

Billström: The image of Sweden can change  

 

After the recent Koran burnings, riots and the difficult NATO situation, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) is struggling to save Sweden's reputation, Sydsvenskan reports. 

 

- If the portrayal of Sweden as Islamophobic were to continue, then in the long run the image of Sweden in the outside world could change, he says.  

 

This year alone, protests have erupted in Turkey, Pakistan, Indonesia, Iraq and Afghanistan as a result of the Koran burnings. The EU Commission has criticized Rasmus Paludan's actions, but also the Swedish authorities' inability to stop him.  

 

Tobias Billström says that it is difficult to determine what consequences this will have for Sweden's NATO application, but that it is important that the government stands up for freedom of expression in Sweden.