Presidential candidate and incumbent head of state, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, commented on the burning of Quran pages in Sweden during a meeting with voters in Tashkent on July 5, Gazeta.uz reports citing the press service of the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party (UzLiDeP).
"We are completely against any form of radicalism and extremism, disrespect towards the religious values of different nations and peoples. In particular, we strongly condemn such a heinous act recently committed in Sweden, the burning of the sacred Quran," said head of Uzbekistan.
"Such situations that insult religion and the noble sentiments of millions of people on Earth are absolutely unacceptable," stated Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Last week, on the day of Eid al-Adha, Swedish police allowed activists to hold a protest near the largest mosque in Stockholm. One of the participants, a 37-year-old Iraqi national named Salwan Momika, burned several pages of the Quran in front of the mosque. This caused outrage in the Muslim world.
On June 29, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates summoned the Swedish ambassador, expressing strong protest and condemning the Quran burning incident. The Swedish ambassador was also summoned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Jordan. On the same day, protests took place in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Demonstrators stormed the premises of the Swedish embassy. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanded the extradition of the organizer of the action from Sweden. Protests also took place in other countries, including Pakistan.
The Republic of Uzbekistan is a secular state where representatives of various religions and faiths live. There are 2,225 registered religious organizations and 16 different religious denominations in the country. The diverse ethnic composition of Uzbekistan indicates that the country is tolerant towards religious matters, and different religious denominations peacefully coexist here.
The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan guarantees freedom of conscience for all. According to the country's Fundamental Law, everyone has the right to profess any religion or not to profess any (Article 31 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan).
According to the US Government estimates that around 93% of the population are Muslims. The majority of Muslims in Uzbekistan follow the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam. The Uzbekistan government states that approximately 1% of the population are Shia Muslims, mainly residing in the Bukhara and Samarkand regions.
The next largest religion in terms of believers is Christianity, including both Orthodox Christianity (4%) and Catholicism (3%).
The European Union condemned the burning of the Quran in Sweden. "This act in no way reflects the opinion of the European Union. Burning the Quran or any other sacred book is offensive, disrespectful, and a clear act of provocation. Racism, xenophobia, and the intolerance associated with them have no place in Europe," the statement reads.
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