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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Riyadh - Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia Demands EU Countries Address Practices that Fuel Hatred

Saudi Arabia strongly rejected all the blatant acts of burning copies of the Holy Quran, which were repeated in several European capitals under the pretext of freedom of expression, and called on the European governments to urgently address these practices that contribute to fueling hatred and conflict between followers of religions.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing the Kingdom's strong condemnation and denunciation of the burning of copies of the Holy Quran by extremists in the Danish capital Copenhagen, in a new provocative step to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world.

It reiterated the Kingdom's position firmly, rejecting all these blatant acts, which have been repeated in several European capitals recently under the pretext of freedom of expression, without an apparent reaction towards stopping these practices.

The Ministry stressed the Kingdom's demand for all European governments in which these extremist violations occurred and the importance of urgently addressing all these practices that fuel hatred and conflict among followers of religions.

Meanwhile, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) also condemned the extremists' burning of the Holy Quran.

GCC Sec-Gen Nayef al-Hajraf affirmed the council's firm stance, which calls for promoting the values of dialogue, coexistence, and tolerance and rejects hatred and radicalism.

Hajraf lamented the absence of a clear and firm official reaction to such blatant acts, which, unfortunately, have recently been repeated in several European capitals under the pretext of freedom of expression.

Furthermore, Sec-Gen of Muslim World League (MWL) Mohammad al-Isa denounced extremists' insistence on repeating these reckless actions under the pretext of freedom of expression.

He reiterated his warning against the risks of hateful practices and provoking religious sentiments, which only serve the agendas of extremism.

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