Kuwait announced this week that it will print thousands of copies of the Quran in Swedish to be distributed in the Nordic country, calling it an effort to educate the Swedish people on Islamic “values of coexistence.” The plan was announced after the desecration of a Quran during a one-man anti-Islam protest that Swedish police authorized in Stockholm last month.
Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah said the Public Authority for Public Care would print and distribute 100,000 translated copies of the Muslim holy book in Sweden, to “affirm the tolerance of the Islamic religion and promote values of coexistence among all human beings,” according to the country’s state news agency Kuna.
On June 28, Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi Christian who had sought asylum in Sweden on religious grounds, stood outside the Stockholm Central Mosque and threw a copy of the Quran into the air and burned some of its pages.
The stunt came on the first day of Eid-al-Adha, one of the most important festivals on the Islamic calendar, and it triggered anger among Muslims worldwide. Protests were held in many Muslim nations, including Iraq, where hundreds of angry demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy compound.
CBS News sought comment from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the Kuwaiti government’s announcement, but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.
The U.S. State Department condemned the desecration of the Quran in Stockholm, but said Swedish authorities were right to authorize the small protest where it occurred.
“We believe that demonstration creates an environment of fear that will impact the ability of Muslims and members of other religious minority groups from freely exercising their right to freedom of religion or belief in Sweden,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said. “We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstration’s actions.”
The United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution Wednesday condemning the burning of the Quran as an act of religious hatred. The U.S. and a handful of European nations voted against the resolution, which was introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), arguing that it contradicts their perspectives on human rights and freedom of expression.
Talk about burning bibles anywhere in rural America and I assure you the threat of jail time is the only thing stopping you from being shot in the street.
Jail time for what crime? Do you have an example of this happening?
I can find one case in 2014 in Arizona. The man burned a bible in front of a Christian-oriented homeless shelter. He was detained on suspicion of one count of unlawful symbol burning.
That seemed like a very strange law, so I looked it up.
If I had to speculate, this law was probably put in place against cross burning by the KKK or similar intimidating acts.
He was arrested on suspicion of unlawful symbol burning, but I can’t find any updates on the case, which likely means he was not prosecuted for it.
I can’t find any more cases besides this and someone being jailed for 11 years for burning a bible. In Egypt.
I think he means “The law against shooting people dead with guns” is what stops people shooting you dead with guns, if you are to mention anything related to bible burning.
However, the info you’ve dug up there is really interesting, thanks!
this guy got it right, but yea thanks for the info dump. I’m sure I can make a trivia night question outta that lol. He also managed to dig up an oddly relevant law as I live in Arizona.