Doha, Media & Communication Dept., June 29, 2023

The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the Swedish authorities’ permission to burn copies of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm. The State of Qatar stresses that this heinous incident is an act of incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world, especially during Eid Al-Adha.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that allowing repeated infringement of the Holy Qur’an under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards. The Ministry renews the State of Qatar's total rejection of all forms of hate speech based on belief, race or religion, and the involvement of sanctities in political disputes. It also warns that hate campaigns against Islam and Islamophobia discourse are a serious witness to the continuation of the systematic calls for targeting Muslims in the world. In this context, the Ministry renews its call to the international community to assume its responsibility to reject hatred, discrimination, incitement and violence. It also stresses the importance of upholding the principles of dialogue and mutual understanding.

The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatar's full support for the values of tolerance and coexistence, and its keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and mutual understanding.