Qatar condemns burning of copy of Holy Quran in Denmark

Qatar has strongly condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Denmark, referring to the incident as ‘heinous’ and a ‘serious provocation’ to over 2 billion Muslims across the world ‘particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.’

Patrioterne Gar Live, a far-right anti-Muslim group, desecrated the Turkish flag and the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen while displaying bigoted placards, which they live-streamed on their Facebook page.

Qatar the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 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 in the Holy Month of Ramadan.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that allowing the repeated infringement of the Holy Qur'an under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens the values of peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards.

Ministry warned that the campaigns of hatred against Islam and the discourse of Islamophobia witnessed a dangerous escalation with the continued systematic calls for the repeated targeting of Muslims in the world. In this context, the ministry renewed its call to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to reject hatred, discrimination, incitement and violence, underlining the importance of upholding the principles of dialogue and mutual understanding.

The ministry pointed out Qatar's total rejection of all forms of hate speech based on belief, race or religion and using sanctities in political disputes.

The ministry reiterated 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 understanding.