Copenhagen:  Muslims in Denmark have told Arab News that it is "deeply saddening," "disturbing," and "concerning" that an Iraqi immigrant burned a Qur'an in neighbouring Sweden.

A copy of the Qur'an was destroyed and set on fire by Salwan Momika last month in front of Stockholm's biggest mosque, where many Muslims were commemorating the Eid Al-Adha holidays. Widespread condemnation of the action was expressed, especially from Middle Eastern nations.

The International Islamic Organisation, which has its headquarters in Saudi Arabia, called for action to stop the burning of the Muslim holy book in the future, while the Swedish government denounced the act and called it "Islamophobic."

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The Swedish police issued a permit to Momika, an Iraqi citizen who resides in Sweden, in accordance with the nation's laws governing free speech. His actions, though, incited outrage among Muslims in Sweden and across the globe. 

Danish convert to Islam Cemal Mathias Bay told Arab News that "it is very disrespectful and it hurts us." Why do they burn the Muslim holy book when we don't burn the Danish, Swedish, or Norwegian flags?

Burnings of the Qur'an have increased in Scandinavia since 2017. The far-right political group Stram Kurs, led by the Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, has organised a number of holy book burnings in Sweden and Denmark.   

Under the protection of the police, Paludan burned a Qur'an in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, in 2019. 

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Momika was accused of agitating against an ethnic or national group after she set fire to Qur'anic verses close to Sweden's largest mosque.

However, Bay expressed disappointment at what she called "double standards," claiming that while pro-Palestine demonstrations have been denied police protection, Qur'an burning is protected by free speech laws.

Additionally, he has endured abuse in Denmark on numerous occasions. 

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, I was attacked and spit on by an elderly Danish man as I was praying outside a restaurant on the highway. Due to the fact that there was no physical assault, the police declined to file a complaint, he claimed.

The Qur'an burning, according to Urfan Zahoor Ahmed, a general practitioner and specialist in family medicine of Pakistani descent who was born and raised in Denmark, is "deeply saddening and concerning."

The principles of respect, unity, and peaceful coexistence that we should pursue in our global community, he said, are violated by this disturbing manifestation of hatred and intolerance towards Muslims. By instilling a climate of fear and hostility, such behaviours erode mutual respect and understanding and polarise the community.

The majority of Scandinavians, who are hospitable and tolerant, do not share the views of this small but significant portion of the population, Ahmed continued.

These behaviours in Scandinavia are the result of a number of interrelated factors. It might be the escalating anti-immigrant sentiment, the fear of a shifting cultural landscape, ignorance of Islam and Muslims, or geopolitical factors intended to block Sweden's NATO membership, he suggested. 

"This incident was a reminder that we must continue working on mutual dialogue and understanding, and dispel the misconceptions about Islam," he continued.

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Following the incident, Saudi Arabia summoned Sweden's ambassador and urged Stockholm 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."