Sweden working to ensure disrespect of Holy Quran not repeated, says foreign minister

Sweden’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that his government is trying to change the law to prevent future attacks on the Holy Quran, describing them as "despicable."

Tobias Billstrom spoke by phone with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Attaf, according to Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During their conversation, Billstrom pointed to constitutional restrictions that limit the ability of his government to prevent such behaviour while expressing deep regret over such actions.

“We are working to ensure that the disrespect towards the Holy Quran is not repeated,” he said.

Billstrom also briefed Attaf on an initiative taken by the Swedish Ministry of Justice to evaluate the possibility of adopting a law on maintaining public order to address such unacceptable behaviour.

Read more: Sweden Torah burning protestor abandons his plan

Last week, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee living in Sweden, disrespected the Holy Quran, just weeks after setting fire to pages of the Muslim holy book outside a Stockholm mosque.

In January, Rasmus Paludan, a far-right Danish leader, desecrated a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. The incident sparked outrage and condemnation across the Islamic world.

Following these incidents, anti-Sweden protests took place in several cities in Lebanon. Sweden's ambassador to the country, Ann Dismorr, reportedly left the country for a planned vacation.