Massive Rally in Yemen Condemns Quran Burning in Sweden

On Monday, protesters gathered in large numbers in the Yemeni city of Sa'ada to voice their displeasure over the sacrilegious act and denounce the silence and passivity of several Arab and Muslim nations in the face of the deed.

In addition, they sang phrases like "God's enemies torched the Quran," "Oppressors will be disgraced," "Burning the Quran is an act of aggression," and "O Muslims, unite and do not be scared of enemies' deception."

Mohammed Jaber Awad, the governor of Sa'ada Province, spoke to the demonstrators and condemned the burning of the Quran in Sweden. He said it occurred at a time when anti-Muslim rhetoric by politicians was escalating Islamophobia in Europe.

He asked Muslims and all those who value freedom to demonstrate in support of the sacrilege and held Sweden entirely accountable for the results of the sacrilegious and unlawful conduct.

Awad also denounced the action as a blatant attack that fits within the context of Western anti-Islamic actions and called for a thorough investigation into what happened.

Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party, under the protection of police and with permission from the government, burned a copy of the Quran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm on Saturday.

The Turkish foreign ministry responded immediately in a statement.

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book… Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable,” the ministry said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu vented fury at Swedish authorities’ failure to ban the protest. “It’s a racist action, it’s not about freedom of expression,” he said.

Many Muslim countries – including Iran, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Kuwait – also denounced the Quran burning.