Jabar Ekspres – United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Thursday local time stated that disrespect for holy books and houses of worship cannot be tolerated. This statement was made in response to the Al-Quran desecration case in Sweden.
“What we need is mutual respect. I think we have explained that desecration of holy books and houses of worship cannot be tolerated,” he told the press.
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While calling the behavior usually done as a provocation, Dujarric emphasized the importance of not being provoked.
He said people should respect each other’s religions, not take the law into their own hands, and avoid violence.
On Thursday morning, a group of Iraqis stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad.
They set fire to the embassy building in protest of the June 28 burning of the Quran by Salwan Monikoa, an Iraqi-born man living in Sweden.
The Swedish Foreign Ministry condemned the attack on its embassy in Baghdad, which it called a “serious violation” of the Vienna Convention.
Many countries, including the United States, Russia, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia, Afghanistan and other Islamic countries, condemned the attack on the Swedish embassy compound.
Sweden said it was investigating the incident.
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Following the attack on the Swedish diplomatic mission, Momika desecrated the Quran again by stepping on it and also the Iraqi flag in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Sweden.
Thursday’s incident came after Iraq warned Sweden it would sever diplomatic ties if the Quran desecration happened again.
Baghdad went so far as to persona non grata the Swedish ambassador after the Quran was desecrated for the second time in a month.
