The Maldivian government has strongly condemned the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden, carried out by the leader of its far-right political party, Stram Kurs, Rasmus Paludin.
The Maldives Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid had called the incident an “abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran”.
Maldives strongly condemns the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden carried out by Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right political party Stram Kurs.
— Abdulla Shahid (@abdulla_shahid) January 22, 2023
Turkey's objections to Sweden joining the NATO military alliance were what sparked the demonstration. Turkey has held up both Sweden and Finland's NATO applications. Paludin had spoken against Islam and Muslims for nearly an hour before he dishonoured the holy book.
The Stram Kurs leader is known for his radicalistic ideologies towards the Islamic faith and Muslims. In April 2022, which coincided with the Islamic sacred month of Ramadan, Paludin had announced he will launch a nationwide anti-Islamic campaign of burning the Holy Quran.
While Paludin and his party’s anti-Islamic campaign led to nationwide unrest, the Swedish government claimed that it was freedom of expression.
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