Muslim World protests over the burning of the Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands

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The recent burning of Islam’s sacred Al Quran book by far-right activists in Sweden and the Netherlands sparked protests on Friday in a number of largely Muslim nations, according to the Associated Press.

The protests in places like Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon came to a peaceful conclusion with people dispersing. Police in Pakistan’s capital city of Islamabad stopped some protesters who were marching in the direction of the Swedish Embassy.

Around 200 enraged demonstrators in Beirut set fire to the Swedish and Dutch flags outside the mosque with the blue dome, Mohammed Al-Amin, which is located in Martyrs Square, the city’s main square.

A far-right activist from Denmark was given permission by the authorities to hold a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm earlier this month, where he also set fire to a copy of the Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. Days later, near the Dutch Parliament, Edwin Wagensveld, the Dutch head of the far-right Pegida movement, tore pages out of a copy of the Qur’an and trampled on them.

Protests were sparked by the actions, which infuriated millions of Muslims around the world.

Swedish officials have emphasised that, although inciting violence or using hate speech is prohibited, people have a wide range of rights under the Swedish Constitution to freely express their opinions. Demonstrators are required to request a permit from the police for a public gathering. Only in extraordinary cases, such as when there are dangers to the public’s safety, can police deny such permits.

Muqtada Al-Sadr, a prominent cleric in Iraq, questioned on Friday whether exercising one’s right to free speech included upsetting others’ religious convictions. Why “doesn’t the burning of the gays’ rainbow flag reflect freedom of expression,” the speaker questioned.

With copies of the Qur’an in hand, hundreds of his fans gathered in front of a mosque in Baghdad.

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