A man who had planned to burn the Torah and the Bible outside the Israeli embassy in Sweden decided to abandon his destructive plan and instead held a demonstration against desecrating holy books on July 15, Al Jazeera informed. Ahmad Alloush, the 32-year-old protester, stated that he never intended to burn the holy books and expressed his opposition to previous incidents of Quran burnings in Sweden. Alloush emphasised that while criticising Islam is acceptable, burning the Quran crosses the line and is not an expression of freedom but rather an offensive action.
This development highlights Sweden's ongoing constitutional conundrum regarding the burning of holy books. Swedish courts have previously permitted such burnings, citing constitutional protection of the right to freedom of assembly, expression, and demonstration. However, there has been limited popular support for these burnings within Sweden, and the country's global image has suffered as a result, with governments in several Muslim countries condemning the decision to allow such acts.
The Swedish foreign ministry has condemned the burnings as Islamophobic, reaffirming that expressions of racism, xenophobia, and intolerance have no place in Sweden or Europe. A recent poll indicates that a majority of Swedish people support a ban on the public burning of religious texts. However, implementing a complete ban would require reintroducing a law that was scrapped in the 1970s.
The burnings in Sweden have also drawn attention at the international level, with the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) approving a resolution on religious hatred and bigotry. While the motion was passed, it faced opposition from the United States and the European Union, who cited conflicts with their positions on human rights and freedom of expression.
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