'I'm a Muslim, I can't burn sacred books': Sweden man says won't burn Torah

A Swedish activist of Syria origin who obtained permission from the Swedish police to burn the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm has chosen not to desecrate the sacred books in response to the provocations of burning the copy of the holy Quran.

Ahmet Allus on Saturday told journalists in front of the embassy that he obtained permission to perform this act in order to draw attention to the fact that no sacred book should be burned.

"I am a Muslim, and I cannot burn sacred and religious books," he said.

He explained that his intention was, in fact, to denounce those who burn sacred books such as the Quran in the Nordic country.

Referring to the provocations of burning the copy of the Quran under police protection in Sweden, Allus said: "There is a difference between freedom of expression and insulting ethnic groups. Burning the Quran and other religious books should be considered a hate crime."

"I obtained permission from the police for the act of burning the Torah and the Bible to draw attention to this. I have absolutely no intention of burning any religious book."

"I want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah, another the Bible, another the Quran, there will be war here. What I wanted to show is that it's not right to do it," he added.

Sweden condemned for allowing desecration

Last month, an extremist burned a copy of the Quran under police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque in Sweden.

His provocative act was timed to coincide with Eid al Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals celebrated by Muslims worldwide.

It elicited widespread condemnations from across the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania.

Thousands protested in Pakistan and Iraq, Morocco recalled its envoy to Sweden, Iran delayed appointing a new ambassador to Sweden, and other countries denounced the act in protest against Stockholm.

In January, a far-right politician also desecrated a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish Embassy in Sweden.