Raisi describes Sweden's response to Quran burning as insufficient

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
23 Jul 2023 14:03

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's comments coincide with the Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei's urge for the “severest punishment” against culprit Salwan Momika.

Iranian demonstrators during a protest of the burning of a Quran in Sweden, in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran, Iran, on June 30, 2023. (AP)

During his speech on Saturday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi condemned the Swedish government's approach to the burning of the Holy Quran in its country.

Raisi said: "Issuing a statement to condemn the insult against the Holy Qur'an by the Swedish government is by no means sufficient and this government must bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice."

This follows after culprit Salwan Momika burned the Holy Quran in front of Stockholm's biggest mosque in late June, and again outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm this past Thursday, while being protected by Swedish police.

According to a statement from the Iranian Ministry of Security earlier this month, reliable information indicates that Salwan Momika was born in Iraq in 1986 and started working for the Israeli Mossad in 2019.

After noting that ties with Sweden have come to an end, Iran's chief executive stated that he ordered the Foreign Ministry to stop the exchange of new ambassadors between the two nations, as Sweden's envoy to Tehran was summoned to receive Iran's condemnation.

On Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian voiced the same message that Iran will not accept a new Swedish ambassador.

"Based on an order by President [Ebrahim Raeisi], the new ambassador of Sweden will not be allowed to return to Iran until the country's government takes a serious and effective measure to deal with the continuous violation of Islamic sanctities," he said during an interview.

Repetition will 'not be allowed'

Raisi's comments arrive on the same day that the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei urged for the “severest punishment” for Momika, as he warned that Sweden has garnered hate and enmity across the Muslim world for supporting the criminal.

"The insult against the Holy Quran in Sweden is a bitter, conspiratorial, and dangerous incident," Khamenei said in a message.

“As the Leader of the Islamic Revolution pointed out, this incident is a conspiratorial and dangerous development and the support of the Swedish government for this criminal act is equivalent to taking battle array against the Muslim world,” Raisi commented.

The desecration of the Holy #Quran in #Sweden sparked widespread outrage and condemnation across the country and beyond.

The recent incident, seen as a grave disrespect to the religious sentiments of millions of #Muslims around the world, triggered protests and calls for swift… pic.twitter.com/dcPiR1z2gJ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) July 21, 2023

Iran has already sent a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres requesting the UN to act on such acts of hatred and require its member states to prevent their occurrence.

Additionally, the chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Hossein Salami expressed on Saturday that Muslims will take revenge against all those involved in and responsible for the acts against the Holy Qur'an.

"We will not allow those who insult the Qur'an to be secure," Major General Salami said, adding that Islamic nations must undertake necessary measures to prevent the repetition of Islamophobia and insult to the Holy Quran emphasizing the need for international support.