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Organisation of Islamic Cooperation convokes meeting over Sweden Quran burning protest – JURIST

The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday called a meeting to explore possible joint actions following a Quran burning by a former Iraqi citizen in front of a Stockholm mosque during Eid-Al-Adha celebrations. The protester, Sawal Momika, burned the Quran after he received a permit to do so issued by Swedish authorities, days after the Swedish Court of Appeal ruled that denying permits to Quran-burning protesters infringed upon their rights to protest and freedom of expression.Various Islamic leaders condemned Momika’s protest, stating that allowing such protests constituted advocacy for Islamophobia.OIC representatives drew up a plan of action during their meeting, urging all OIC member states to collectively condemn the act. The representatives also insisted that all governments ensure their laws and policies adhere to international standards that discourage the stigmatization of people who practise the Islamic faith.The meeting follows counterprotests organised by a Muslim cleric outside the Swedish embassy in Iraq. The protesters burnt LGBTQ flags in an attempt to point out a double standard, stating that both the burning of LGBTQ flags and the Quran should be regarded as hate crimes. Morocco joined in the condemnation when they recalled their ambassador to Sweden Wednesday, saying that the Quran burning was disrespectful to the Islamic faith.A similar incident occurred in Sweden in January, when an effigy of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was hanged, leading to the conviction of the organiser for racial abuse and friction between the Swedish and Turkish governments.