RIYADH – The Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Albudaiwi, strongly condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran by extremists in Stockholm, Sweden.

He called on the Swedish authorities to take immediate action to prevent these actions that fuel hatred and extremism, holding the Swedish authorities responsible for all reactions resulting from these heinous and inciting acts that violate the principles of tolerance and freedom of religion.

‘’Such irresponsible acts, which provoke and inflame the feelings of Muslims in the whole world and in these blessed days, should be prevented and addressed by all legal and ethical means and with the cooperation of all, to renounce extremism and religious fanaticism”, he said in a statement carried by Saudi Press Agency.

The Makkah-based Muslim World League (MWL) has also strongly condemned the crime of burning a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden, as the scenes of this disgraceful act provoke Muslims' sentiments, especially during the blessed Eid Al-Adha.

In a statement by the Secretariat-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, the secretary-general of the WML and the Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, denounced this absurd and heinous crime, carried out under the protection of the police and under the claim of practicing freedom of expression, while in reality, it abuses, among many things, the actual concept of freedom, which calls for respecting and not provoking others under any pretext.

Dr. Al-Issa warned against the dangers of these practices that promote hatred, provoke religious sentiments, and serve only the agendas of extremism.