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| Muslim world reacts to anti-Islam protests: Furious Indonesia and Turkey summon envoys after Korans were destroyed in stunts in Sweden and the Netherlands | |
| 2023-01-24 | |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
Parts of the Muslim world have erupted into protest over the last few days, demanding the closure of Swedish embassies after Sweden issued the permit for Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right Stram Kurs party, to burn the holy book at a rally. Turkey also summoned the Dutch ambassador today to express upset with a separate stunt that saw pages ripped out of the Koran by far-right Pegida movement leader Edwin Wagensveld in the Netherlands on Sunday. In Yemen, thousands gathered yesterday in Sanaa in protest of the Koran burning in Stockholm. Yemenis were also pictured burning flags of the United States and Israel. Elsewhere, an Iraqi policeman and seven protesters were injured on Monday during a rally of dozens outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Indonesia also condemned the permit given for Paludan to burn a Koran on Saturday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Sweden could no longer expect support for its NATO membership bid following its decision to grant Paludan a permit to burn the Koran. Relations between Sweden and Turkey have soured as the former seeks Turkish support for its NATO membership bid. Sweden and Finland have sought to join NATO since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but their bids must be approved by all 30 NATO member states. Both still rely on votes from Turkey and Hungary, which Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has to deliver in 2023. Erdogan's warning prompted Finland, which applied to join NATO together with its Nordic neighbour, yesterday. Rasmus Paludan said ahead of the book burning that he wanted to 'mark some freedom of speech' after the hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Tayyip in Stockholm by pro-Kurdish activists provoked a strong reaction in Turkey. Turkish officials said the act went against an agreement made under which Sweden and Finland would crack down on Kurdish militants as both sought to appease Turkey in return for their support in joining NATO. Both Sweden and Finland have populations of ethnic Kurds, many of whom fled persecution in Turkey in the 1970s and 1980s. State Department spokesperson for the United States said that the Koran burning may have been a deliberate attempt to sabotage unity in NATO on Monday. Ned Price told reporters that the 'repugnant' and 'disgusting' act was the doing of a 'provocateur' intent on putting distance between Turkey and Sweden.
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| Posted by:Skidmark |