Zubair Qureshi
Ambassador of the European Union (EU) in Pakistan, Dr Riina Kionka in a statement on Saturday conveyed the EU’s strong-worded rejection and condemnation of the recent Quran burning incident that took place in Sweden.
The EU has described the act as offensive, disrespectful, and a clear act of provocation, said she in a tweet on Saturday.
The desecration of the Holy Quran took place in Sweden’s capital Stockholm, when an Iraqi resident set the copy of the Holy Book on fire in front of a mosque when the faithful were coming out after offering Eid-ul-Adha prayers.
“Burning the Quran or any other Holy Book is offensive and disrespectful and a clear act of provocation. Manifestations of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Europe,” the EU envoy said in a statement and described the incident as an individual act which had nothing to do with the EU or its policies.
The embassy of Sweden in Pakistan also condemned the act. In a post on social media, the Swedish embassy’s official handle stated that the Swedish government strongly rejected the Islamophobic act committed by individuals in Sweden. “This act in no way reflects the opinion of the Swedish government,” the statement further said.
