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Join on Telegram Rabat – A new survey conducted on behalf of Swedish national television broadcaster SVT has found that a majority of Swedish citizens now support a ban on the public burning of religious texts, such as the Qur’an or the Bible. This shift in public opinion comes after a pure act of Islamophobia last week where a man set fire to Islam’s holiest book.
The survey, conducted by Kantar Public, revealed that 54 percent of respondents believe that burning holy scriptures in public should be prohibited, while 34 percent believe it should be allowed, and 13 percent were undecided. This marks an 11 percent increase in those in favor of banning such acts since February of this year, when a similar survey was conducted by Kantar for TV4, a Swedish Television network.
The release of the survey findings comes amidst widespread protests that Sweden has faced following the incident of Quran burning in front of a Stockholm mosque during Eid-al-Adha. Many countries strongly condemned the act, particularly in Asia and the Middle East.
Pakistan’s prime minister called for nationwide protests, while the Pope expressed anger and disgust over the burning of Islam’s holy book. The United Nations is expected to convene soon to discuss the incident.
According to Toivo Sjoren, the head of opinion at Kantar Public, the global reaction to the Quran burnings may have influenced the change in public opinion. However, despite the majority of Swedes opposing the burning of religious texts, it appears that the practice may continue. While the police had already denied permission for two Quran-burning demonstrations in 2023, the Court of Appeals overturned those decisions.
The Swedish government has condemned the act as “Islamophobia” after the Organization of Islamic countries called for measures to prevent future desecration of the Muslim holy book. The Swedish foreign ministry stated that the burning of the Quran or any other holy text is offensive, disrespectful, and a clear provocation.
It emphasized that expressions of racism, xenophobia, and intolerance have no place in Sweden or Europe. However, the ministry also acknowledges Sweden’s constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression, and demonstration.
Although the majority of Swedes now oppose the burning of religious texts, three new applications to burn the Quran, the Bible, and the Torah have been submitted to the police. One application, filed by a woman in her 50s, seeks permission to burn the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm as soon as possible.
Another application, made by a man in his 30s, requests permission to burn the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli embassy on July 15 as a symbolic gathering in support of freedom of speech and as a response to the recent Quran burning incident.
