PETALING JAYA: Immediate action must be taken by the Swedish government against the perpetrators who burned the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden, says Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (pic).
The Foreign Minister said Malaysia condemned in the strongest terms the Islamophobic act by an extremist Swedish Danish far-right politician, Rasmus Paludan, in burning a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden on Jan 21.
"The Swedish government's ignorance to stop this dreadful and wicked act despite several protests from various parties are utterly unacceptable and could have serious repercussionson relations between Sweden and Muslims around the world.
"We urge the Swedish government to take immediate action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to undertake serious measures to combat the worrisome rise of Islamophobia in Sweden," he said in a statement on Sunday (Jan 22).
Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was permitted to burn the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, causing the Muslim world to erupt in anger due to the incident.
Zambry added that the vile act was clearly an outright attack against Islam and Muslims worldwide, which has gone beyond moral limits and norms of the right to freedom of speech and expression.
"Bigotry, racism and vile desecration of such holy scripture, regardless of religion, is unacceptable and should be condemned. Malaysia reiterates that freedom of expression cannot be equated with freedom to insult. It goes against the universal principle of respect for religions.
"Malaysia urges the international community to work together to combat Islamophobia and promote harmonious relations and peaceful coexistence among people of different faiths in a diverse global community," said Zambry.
He added that Malaysia would continue to work closely with fellow members of the international community to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence and hatred against Islam, including Islamophobic sentiments and extremism.
