China has criticized Sweden after Dane, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of a far-right group burned a copy of the Muslim holy Quran in Linkoping, Sweden, last week and threatened to burn more at other rallies in the future.
According to media sources the Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Wenbin, referring to the widespread demonstrations in Sweden and other parts of the world, condemned the incident saying that “Freedom of Speech cannot be a reason to incite racial or cultural discrimination and tear society apart.”
According to the Chinese Global Times, he concluded that China hoped “Sweden can earnestly respect the religious beliefs of minority groups, including Muslims.”
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said the burning raised Muslim concerns of “the alarming trend of Islamophobia perpetuated by extreme right supporters.”
