In response to the burning of the Quran in Sweden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the incident was offensive and objectionable, but not illegal. The NATO chief, however, pushed for a deal on Sweden’s NATO membership despite the event.
“I understand emotion and depth of the feeling. This is offensive and objectionable but not necessarily illegal in the sovereign legal system. We are also seeing protests and I don’t like them but this is part of freedom of expression,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Chief has also urged for a compromise over Sweden’s accession to NATO.
The burning of a Quran outside a mosque in Sweden was also criticised by the United States on Thursday, June 29, but it also stressed that granting permission for the demonstration was an affirmation of free speech and not an endorsement of the action.
The Swedish Quran-burning demonstration has been condemned by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicating that it would be another barrier to Sweden’s application for NATO membership.
Erdogan compared those who permitted the ‘crime’ to those who perpetrated the ‘crime’ while addressing members of his Justice and Development Party. After a judge reversed a prohibition on the Quran burning event, Swedish police permitted the protest outside a mosque in central Stockholm on the grounds of freedom of speech.
On Wednesday, June 28, the first day of the Muslim Eid al Adha holidays, an ex-Muslim tore and burned a Quran outside Stockholm’s major mosque, infuriating Turkey, whose support Sweden needs to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO).
State Department spokesperson Matt Miller stated at a daily press briefing that Washington considers the demonstration generated “an environment of fear” that inadvertently restricts Muslims’ freedom to practice their religion. Miller stated, “I will say that we do condemn it.”
“We believe the demonstration created an environment of fear that will impact the ability of Muslims and members of other religious minority groups to freely exercise their right to freedom of religion or belief in Sweden. We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstration’s actions,” he added.
The anti-Quran demonstration was allowed to go ahead with authorization from the Swedish police. Police, however, charged the perpetrator of the burning with agitation against an ethnic or national group.
After Russia invaded Ukraine last year, Sweden applied to join NATO. However, the procedure has been slowed down since Turkey, an alliance member, has demanded the extradition of those it believes to be terrorists from Sweden.
Miller declined to comment on whether the protest and its aftermath might affect Turkey-Sweden relations and, consequently, Sweden’s NATO application, but he reaffirmed Washington’s position that the Nordic nation was prepared to join the alliance.
“It’s time for Sweden to move towards full NATO membership”, he declared. Turkey’s president, Tayyip Erdogan, criticised Sweden for burning a Quran in Stockholm and declared that his country would never bow down to a policy of provocation or threat.