Maduro criticizes Europeans' lack of response to Quran-burning
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Venezuelan President expresses solidarity with Muslim people worldwide and criticizes the silence and complicity of those who ignore the desecration of the Quran in Denmark and Sweden.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a meeting Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, July 8, 2023 (AP)
Yesterday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the lack of response from European leaders and European media over the Quran-burning incidents in Sweden and Denmark.
"I feel, deep within my heart, the discontent of Muslim peoples around the world when they see the Quran being burned," Maduro said on his program aired by Al Mayadeen broadcaster.
Read more: 'With Maduro and More': A direct link between president, people
Maduro added that those who turn a blind eye to the burning of religious books in Europe are indirectly complicit in "their silence".
In addition to criticizing the silence of European leaders, Maduro also criticized the media for not covering the issue. He added that he strongly condemns the activities of "extreme right-wing and racist groups" who perpetrate hate crimes against Muslims and their beliefs.
"I ask myself as a Christian, what we Christians would feel if someone should burn the Bible in another country? ... We would feel great sadness and it would be a great insult if someone were to do this," the president added.
Read more: Pope Francis condemns 'barbaric' Quran burnings
Several Muslim countries have protested the burning of the Quran, and the Iraqi government on July 20 expelled Sweden's ambassador to the country and severed its ties with Stockholm in response to the repeated Quran burnings in Sweden, which were permitted by the Swedish government.
Salwan Momika, an Iraqi-born refugee living in Sweden burned a copy of the Quran on June 28 outside Stockholm's main mosque. Momika was granted a permit from Swedish authorities before carrying out his act.
Iran's security ministry recently revealed that Salwan Momika was born in Iraq in 1986 and started working for the Israeli Mossad in 2019.
Read more: Blaming extremists, Denmark eyes exploring ways to limit Quran burning
