Leader Slams In response to the abuse of the Quran in European nations, Ayatollah Khamenei released a statement on Wednesday.
“The mad degradation of the Quran, which is conducted under the banner of freedom of speech, reveals the Arrogant Powers’ attacks are directed against Islam itself and the Quran.”
He said, “All freedom-seekers of the globe should stand alongside Muslims in resisting the wicked plot of insulting sanctities and propagating hate,” adding, “The Quran is shining more brightly every day and the future belongs to Islam despite the Arrogant Powers’ plots.”
A copy of the Bible was burned on Saturday in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, by Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line.
Paludan denounced Islam and immigration in Sweden during a lengthy tirade that lasted about an hour while he was surrounded by police. Paludan then set fire to the copy of the Quran using a lighter. A calm counter-demonstration with over 100 participants gathered nearby.
The leader of the far-right PEGIDA party in the Netherlands, Edwin Wagensveld, tore pages from the Bible and set them on fire in front of the Hague parliamentary building on Monday.
Wagensveld said in a video posted to his social media sites that he had permission from local officials to “destroy the Quran.”
In the Muslim world, sacrilegious actions have received significant censure.