Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Kazakhstan, expressed strong condemnation of the burning of the Koran in several Northern European countries, Akorda reports.
He deemed this act as an unacceptable provocation that aims to escalate tensions in the modern world and erode trust between nations and communities. Kazakhstan, being the initiator of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, considers it an effective platform for dialogue among influential representatives of different religions.
The President emphasized that such religious vandalism and irresponsible behavior by citizens in these countries should be unanimously denounced as actions that contradict the civilized norms upheld by nations and religions worldwide. Tokayev called on the UN General Assembly to address and comment on these events.
In response to these incidents, Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador from the country and issued a warning that any further burning of the holy book would lead to the severing of diplomatic relations. These events started with the burning of the Koran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, led by an ultra-right and anti-Islam activist. Subsequent incidents involving Koran burning in different locations further escalated tensions, with protests and demonstrations following.
As of July 22, a Koran was burned in front of the Iraqi embassy in Denmark as a protest against the recent attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad, where protesters stormed the building and set it on fire, prompting Iraqi police to disperse the crowd with water cannons. These actions have garnered international attention and raised concerns over the potential impact on diplomatic relations and interfaith harmony.
OIC member countries are set to have a meeting of foreign ministers over this issue, while the UN adopted a new resolution that strongly condemns and considers any acts of violence or insults against sacred texts as a violation of international law.
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