COPENHAGEN – A small group of protesters in Denmark on Monday set fire to a copy of the Quran, Islam’s holy book, in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, risking a further deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
The group that calls itself “Danish Patriots” also held a similar demonstration last week, live-streaming the events on Facebook. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen condemned it as an act of “stupidity” by a few individuals, telling national broadcaster DR: “It is a disgraceful act to insult the religion of others.
“This applies to the burning of Qurans and other religious symbols. It has no other purpose than to provoke and create division.”Several thousand Iraqis demonstrated in Baghdad on Saturday over the burning or damaging of the Quran during anti-Islam protests in Sweden and Denmark, in a gathering called by ruling Iraqi parties and armed groups, many close to Iran.
That attempt, repelled by Iraqi security forces who fired tear gas, according to a government source, came 48 hours after the Swedish embassy was overrun and set alight in protest at a planned burning of the Quran in Stockholm.Many Muslim states condemned the insults to the Quran last week in protests in Sweden and Denmark, which both allow the book’s burning under legal protections for freedom of speech.