WORLD 23/07/05 Iraqi Christians deplore Quran burning in Sweden

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Iraqi Christians deplore Quran burning in Sweden

The desecration of Islamic holy book was an 'atrocious and despicable act,' church leaders say

Iraqi Christians attend a Mass at St. Joseph Church in Baghdad on March 10, 2021, following Pope Francis' visit to the country. Iraqi Christian leaders have condemned the Quran burning by an Iraqi-origin refugee in Sweden. (Photo: AFP)

By UCA News reporter

Published: July 06, 2023 11:11 AM GMT

Iraqi Christian leaders have strongly condemned the burning of the Quran by a “young extremist” in front of a mosque in Sweden’s capital Stockholm as an "atrocious and despicable" act.

In no way the act can be justified in the name of freedom of expression‎, said church leaders, Fides news agency reported on July 5.

In a statement, the Council of Christian Church Leaders of Iraq (CCCL) said the very act represents in itself “disrespect for the freedom of multitudes of people, an incitement to religious hatred and an attack on peace among the peoples.”

The gesture has inflamed the anger of Muslim believers all over the world, it stated.

The council is an ecumenical body of Patriarchs, Bishops, and heads of the 14 Churches and Ecclesial Communities present in Iraq. It was founded in 2010.

The church leaders have appealed to men of wisdom and "peacemakers" around the world to promote sentiments that foster “coexistence and peace.”

The Quran burning in front of the Stockholm Mosque on June 28, during the Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Adha sparked anger and tension in Iraq, particularly because it was committed by a 37-year-old refugee of Iraqi origin.

Self-declared atheist Salwan Momika, who has lived in Sweden for many years, was born in Qaraqosh, a city with a Christian majority in the Nineveh Plain, Fides reported. He was born into a Christian family.

The Iraqi government and judiciary have called on Swedish authorities to extradite him so that prosecutors can take the necessary measures to bring him to justice.

Church leaders also pointed out that such inflammatory acts endanger Iraq’s dwindling Christian community which endured brutal persecution and martyrdom at the hands of Islamic extremists in recent decades.

Mar Awa Royel, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, issued a statement immediately after the burning of the Quran, describing the act as the work of "an atheist of Iraqi origin," aimed at spreading hatred.

Christian political leader Ano Abdoka, the minister of transport and communications of the Government of the Autonomous Region of Iraqi Kurdistan, also issued a statement to deplore the act.

Pope Francis, in a conversation with Hamad Al-Kaabi, director of the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al-Ittihad, said he was "outraged and disgusted” by the burning of the Quran in Stockholm.