Quran burning in Sweden sparks tensions with Turkey over NATO bid

Salvan Momika protests outside a mosque in Stockholm Photo: JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/afp

A man tore up and burned a copy of the Koran outside Stockholm's main mosque on Wednesday , which angered Turkey and undermined the aspirations of the Nordic countries to join NATO.

Salvan Momiki's demonstration coincided with the start of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha and provoked an immediate rebuff from Ankara. , which blocked Sweden's entry into the transatlantic security alliance due to alleged security concerns.

“It is unacceptable to allow these actions under the pretext of freedom of expression,” Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fieden said.

“To tolerate such horrendous acts is to be an accomplice,” added Mr. Fieden.

About 200 people witnessed a two-person protest during which Mr. Momika tore pages from the Quran and wiped off the sacred text on his shoes.

He told TV4 Nyheterna that the Quran «poses a danger to democratic laws , Swedish and human values.”

A 37-year-old man who fled Iraq to live in Sweden put bacon on a book before setting it on fire while a second protester spoke into a megaphone.

Some of the spectators shouted «God is great» in Arabic to protest the arson, and one person was detained by police after he tried to throw a stone.

A supporter of the demonstration shouted «let it burn». as the holy book caught fire. The police are investigating whether any crimes have been committed.

Officers are reported to have called in reinforcements from across the country, anticipating possible unrest.

Muslim countries are outraged by the destruction of their sacred texts, and similar actions have provoked violent protests in the past.

In recent months, the Swedish police have rejected several requests to hold anti-Islamic demonstrations on security grounds, but the courts have overturned these decisions, saying they violate freedom of speech.

«It's legal, but inappropriate»

Before the protest, the Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said he would not speculate on how this could affect his country's bid for NATO membership, which was filed in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

“It is legal, but inappropriate,” he said, adding that the decision to burn the Koran should be made by the police.

“I believe that we live in a time when you need to remain calm and think about what is best in Sweden's long-term interests.»

Recep Tayyip Erdogan does not want Sweden to join NATO. Photo: ADEM ALTAN/afp

Turkey suspended NATO talks with Sweden in January after a Danish far-right political party leader set fire to a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

In the same month, Ankara also summoned the Swedish ambassador after an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hung upside down by a Kurdish group outside Stockholm City Hall.

NATO hopes to have Sweden ratified as its 32nd member state by the time the alliance convenes for a summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on 11-12 July.< /p>Turkey refuses to give consent to NATO

But Turkey continues to withhold its consent over what it describes as Stockholm's failure to crack down on groups it considers «terrorists», including Kurdish groups and individuals linked to the failed 2016 coup.

NATO expansion requires the unanimous approval of all its members.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that he had convened a meeting of senior officials from Turkey, Sweden and Finland to try to overcome membership objections.