Khamenei Demands Harsh Punishment Over Quran Desecration In Sweden

In the wake of Quran desecration incidents in Sweden, Iran's Supreme Leader Saturday called for the severest punishment to be imposed on the perpetrator.

Ali Khamenei claimed in a statement that this stance is supported unanimously by all Muslim clerics.

In a message addressing the incident, he described it as "a bitter, conspiratorial, and perilous act," urging the Swedish government to hand over the culprit to the judicial authorities of Muslim countries. The man in question once burned the Quran in June and on Thursday he stomped and kicked the Muslim holy book.

"The consensus of all Muslim scholars is to impose the severest punishment on the perpetrator of this crime," alleged Khamenei. He also cautioned the Swedish government about “their support for the criminal” warning that such support takes a confrontational stance against the Muslim world, leading to enmity and resentment from Muslim nations and several governments.

Khamenei further addressed what he called “the conspirators behind the act”, asserting that “the sanctity of the Holy Quran will only grow stronger each day.”

Prior to Khamenei's response, Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, summoned the Swedish ambassador to express "the strong protest of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

The incident involved Salwan Momika, an Iraqi immigrant, who burned the Quran in front of the central mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid al-Adha, after obtaining a permit from the Swedish government. He repeated the desecration, this time in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on July 20.