Statement by the Foreign Minister’s Special Representative for Cooperation to Promote Respect for the Right to Freedom of Religion and the Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Gennady Askaldovich on a new Islamophobic act in Sweden

Another blatant anti-Islam provocation was committed in Stockholm on June 28, as almost a billion Muslims around the world celebrated the first day of Eid al-Adha, one of their most important holidays. An immigrant from Iraq abused a copy of Islam’s most holy book, the Quran, outside Stockholm’s central mosque. He also did this with extreme cynicism and defiance, without clearly explaining the reasons for his act.

Swedish law enforcement agencies again did nothing to stop this act of extremism. Moreover, they had issued the organisers a permit for this protest and ensured the perpetrator’s security. Earlier, the Swedish court ruled that the police’s refusal to allow similar acts outside the embassies of Iraq and Türkiye was unreasonable and unfounded.

We resolutely reject this indulgence of religious radicals on the part of Stockholm authorities. For the umpteenth time, they have allowed an Islamophobiс provocation citing the notorious “freedom of speech” and “democracy.” This kind of “democracy” is not worth a dime if it effectively leads to lawlessness and permissiveness.

The comments by Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Deputy Spokesperson for the US Department of State Vedant Patel raise eyebrows – in an attempt to save Stockholm’s NATO bid, they tried to explain that actions that may be legal do not necessarily have to be appropriate. We believe that the Swedish authorities and the West as a whole should focus on addressing religious extremism rather than engage in verbal punch fests.

The international community has an obligation to work together to counter such shameful violations of the rights of believers. Please be reminded that UN Security Council Resolution 2686, adopted on June 14, 2023, expressed deep concern over instances of discrimination, intolerance and extremism, in particular cases motivated by Islamophobia, antisemitism or Christianophobia. The document contains a strong call to states, international and regional organisations to publicly condemn violence, hate speech and extremism motivated by discrimination including on the grounds of religion.

Impunity in such cases can lead to unpredictable and catastrophic consequences.