Iran summons Danish ambassador over blasphemous act against Qur'an

The Foreign Ministry's director general for Western Europe summoned the Danish ambassador on Saturday to convey Tehran’s protest over the blasphemous act against the Holy Qur'an in the capital Copenhagen.

Members of an Islamophobic group called Danske Patrioter burned the Muslim holy book in front of Iraq’s Embassy in the Danish capital city of Copenhagen on Friday.

They also carried a banner with insulting slogans against Islam, before stamping the Iraqi flag and a copy of the Qur’an under police protection, as seen in the videos they shared on social media.

The group said they did this to protest the attack against Sweden’s Embassy in Baghdad.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry official condemned any act of violation against Islamic sanctities in every part of the world.

"The burning of books in Europe is a reminder of the dark atmosphere of the era of ignorance and the Middle Ages, which in turn is the biggest threat to the freedom of thought and thought in the West," he said.

He slammed European countries' inaction over the burning of the books, saying silence in the face of such a heinous cultural crime would have no outcome but violence and spread of terrorism.

The Iranian official emphasized that the burning of books is tantamount to the end of freedom of thought, adding, "Setting fire to the thoughts cannot be justified with the sacred concept of freedom."

The perpetrators of such acts and those governments that pave the way for these anti-cultural actions through their passive behavior must be held accountable in this regard.

"We believe that if the Danish government had acted responsibly and effectively in the face of insulting Islamic sanctities, we would not have witnessed such a profane act today," the official said.

He said Iran calls on the Danish government to take a serious measure to prevent the reoccurrence of such bitter incidents.

This government should also arrest and severely punish the perpetrators in an attempt to prepare the ground for respecting sanctities of divine religions and the principle of peaceful coexistence, he added.

The Danish ambassador, for his part, expressed regret over the desecration of the Holy Qur'an in Copenhagen and said disrespect to religions is a shameful act.

Vahr added that the Danish government disassociates itself from these shameful provocations, which pursue no goal but to sow division.

He said he would promptly notify his respective government about the Islamic Republic's protest.