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Rabat – Morocco has recalled its ambassador to Stockholm, reiterating its firm position against a series of hostile and heinous Islamophobic acts targeting Muslims and Islam in the Nordic country.
On Wednesday, a Swedish court greenlighted a Quran-burning demonstration in defiance of the international community’s uproar and frustration over Sweden’s Islamophobic acts justified under the name of “freedom of expression.”
A statement from Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said Rabat’s decision to summon its ambassador to Stockholm for consultations came on the very high instructions of King Mohammed VI.
Describing the move as “offensive” and “irresponsible,” Morocco’s statement said that the hostile acts disregard the feelings of over a billion Muslims– recalling that the anti-Islam demonstration came amid Eid Al Adha celebrations.
“Regardless of the political positions or differences that may exist between countries, the Kingdom considers it unacceptable that the faith of Muslims should be disrespected in this way, nor can the principles of tolerance and the values of universalism be reduced to accommodating the views of a few while showing so little regard for the beliefs of more than a billion Muslims.”
The situation caused uproar among both Muslim and non-Muslim communities and countries, which questioned Sweden’s authorities’ motives.
The US is among the countries that condemned Sweden’s acts, describing it as “disrespectful” and “hurtful” against Muslims.
“So I will let the government of Sweden and local law enforcement speak specifically or more about this particular incident but broadly, we continue to encourage Hungary and Türkiye to ratify the accession protocol of Sweden without delay, so that we can welcome Sweden into the alliance as soon as possible,” State Department Deputy spokesman Vedant Patel said.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq, the Arab League among others have all expressed concerns on the situation, with many news outlets suggesting that the Turkish-Swedish tensions might have been behind Sweden’s decision to allow the Islamophobic demonstration.
This is not the first time that Sweden’s far-right extremists have sparked worldwide outrage with their anti-Islam acts, including the burning of the Quran in public demonstrations. Many similar previous acts took place in the country under the leadership of Danish-Swedish far-right politician Ramsus Paludan – who is known for organizing in both Sweden and Denmark public demonstrations targeting Islam and Muslims.
