Iran Summons Norwegian Diplomat over Quran Desecration
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned Norway’s charge d’affaires over the recent burning of the Holy Quran by an extremist group in the Scandinavian country and warned against the dangerous consequences of such acts, which could spread extremism and violence.
The director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s Department of North European Affairs on Tuesday summoned the Norwegian envoy, in the absence of the country’s ambassador, to convey the Islamic Republic’s strong protest against the hideous move in the European country.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry official said the hateful act hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world, adding, “One cannot insult the beliefs and sanctities of more than 1.5 billion Muslims in the world under the pretext of freedom of expression.”
He further urged the Norwegian government to prevent the recurrence of such “seditious acts” and deal harshly with those behind the recent desecration.
The Norwegian charge d’affaires, for his part, said he would convey Iran’s protest to the Oslo government and added that his country utterly rejects the move.
Norway’s principled policy is to back the freedom of expression and opinion and to prevent the spread of hatred, the envoy said.
In derogatory acts on Sunday, members of the “Stop Islamization of Norway” (SIAN) in Kristiansand city insulted two copies of the Holy Quran, while Lars Torrens, head of the anti-Islam organization, burned another copy.
Desecration of the Holy Quran in the largely Muslim-populated area of Kristiansand by the Norwegian far-right group sparked outrage and condemnation by Muslim nations.
