Fringe group continues Quran burnings in Copenhagen
A fringe group burned the Quran outside the Copenhagen embassies of two Muslim majority countries on Tuesday in the latest of a number of events which have provoked condemnations from diplomats.
The far-right group, which calls itself "Danske Patrioter", set fire to the Islamic holy book outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies on Tuesday.
Earlier events staged by the group involved only two participants, but a higher number, described by news wire Reuters as a “small group” was involved on Tuesday.
Iraq has already condemned the repeated desecration of the Quran in front of its own embassy in Copenhagen. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was reported to have spoken to his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, in a “constructive” conversation according to the Danish foreign ministry.
READ ALSO: Iraqis protest again after Danish book burning incident
In a Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday, the Danish government said it “condemns the burning of the Quran.”
“Burning of holy texts and other religious symbols is a shameful act that disrespects the religion of others,” it said.
“It is a provocative act that hurts many people and creates division between different religions and cultures. Denmark has freedom of religion and many Danish citizens are Muslims. They are a valued part of the Danish population,” the foreign ministry said.
“Denmark underlines that freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected,” it also said, adding “Denmark supports the right to protest but emphasizes it must remain peaceful”.
Algeria meanwhile said on Monday it had summoned the Danish and Swedish envoys to condemn recent desecrations of the Quran in Copenhagen and Stockholm.
The foreign ministry said it had on "summoned the Danish ambassador and the charge d'affaires at the Swedish embassy" to formally protest events in the two countries in which the Muslim holy book was burnt or stamped on, news wire AFP reported.
Algeria also said it "firmly condemns these immoral and uncivil acts that target all that is sacred for Muslims the world over," a foreign ministry statement said.
It said it did not accept the argument that such protests were permissible in the name of freedom of expression.
"These reprehensible acts run contrary to the values of tolerance and co-existence and only serve to revive hatred and Islamophobia," it said.
Denmark’s ambassador to Iran Jesper Vahr was summoned by Tehran in protest at a “desecration of the Quran” in Copenhagen, the Iranian foreign ministry earlier said on Twitter. A Quran was burned at the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen on Friday in the first of the current spate of burnings in the Danish capital.
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The far-right group, which calls itself "Danske Patrioter", set fire to the Islamic holy book outside the Egyptian and Turkish embassies on Tuesday.
Earlier events staged by the group involved only two participants, but a higher number, described by news wire Reuters as a “small group” was involved on Tuesday.
Iraq has already condemned the repeated desecration of the Quran in front of its own embassy in Copenhagen. Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was reported to have spoken to his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, in a “constructive” conversation according to the Danish foreign ministry.
READ ALSO: Iraqis protest again after Danish book burning incident
In a Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday, the Danish government said it “condemns the burning of the Quran.”
“Burning of holy texts and other religious symbols is a shameful act that disrespects the religion of others,” it said.
“It is a provocative act that hurts many people and creates division between different religions and cultures. Denmark has freedom of religion and many Danish citizens are Muslims. They are a valued part of the Danish population,” the foreign ministry said.
“Denmark underlines that freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected,” it also said, adding “Denmark supports the right to protest but emphasizes it must remain peaceful”.
Algeria meanwhile said on Monday it had summoned the Danish and Swedish envoys to condemn recent desecrations of the Quran in Copenhagen and Stockholm.
The foreign ministry said it had on "summoned the Danish ambassador and the charge d'affaires at the Swedish embassy" to formally protest events in the two countries in which the Muslim holy book was burnt or stamped on, news wire AFP reported.
Algeria also said it "firmly condemns these immoral and uncivil acts that target all that is sacred for Muslims the world over," a foreign ministry statement said.
It said it did not accept the argument that such protests were permissible in the name of freedom of expression.
"These reprehensible acts run contrary to the values of tolerance and co-existence and only serve to revive hatred and Islamophobia," it said.
Denmark’s ambassador to Iran Jesper Vahr was summoned by Tehran in protest at a “desecration of the Quran” in Copenhagen, the Iranian foreign ministry earlier said on Twitter. A Quran was burned at the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen on Friday in the first of the current spate of burnings in the Danish capital.
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