AWQAF SOUTH AFRICA expresses its vehement condemnation of the despicable, hurtful and sacrilegious torching of a Holy Qur’an by the right-wing Swedish politician, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party.
That under the protection of the police, and with permission from the government, he was allowed – under the banner of “free speech” – to burn a copy of the Divine Book outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, is utterly reprehensible.
Choosing to carry out this heinous hate crime outside of the Turkish Embassy, Mr. Paludan has cowardly used this act of aggression to openly offend not only the Turkish Nation but the global Muslim world.
Freedom of speech does indeed have its limits, especially if it means indulging in racism, attacking dignity, demeaning character, and the deliberate desecration of religious symbols.
This principle applies to all peoples and all faiths wherever they might find themselves across the globe. We once again express our disgust at the objectionable behaviour of Mr. Paludan whose innate political stupidity has slandered, insulted, and offended a quarter of the world’s population.
