I’m generally not in favor of burning books as a form of protest; I’d rather people read the Qur’an than burn it. Nonetheless, this is an important flashpoint for the freedom of expression today. If the West continues to bow to violent intimidation on this, we will no longer have a free society (an outcome Western leaders want, anyway), and will be subjected to ever more bullying (which Western leaders probably also want). Sweden is to be commended for allowing this when everyone else is betraying the people on matters of free expression.
Sweden is allowing the Qur’an-burning in the name of the freedom of expression. To join NATO, however, Sweden must adopt Sharia blasphemy restrictions. And the rest of Europe must as well, eventually, if Turkey gets its way.
Nobody has to respect the Quran which dehumanizes us Non-Muslims. I'll burn one too for this occasion. https://t.co/FKJqadVIoG
— Ridvan Aydemir | Apostate Prophet (@ApostateProphet) January 22, 2023
“Turkey condemns Sweden protests, cancels ministers’ meeting,” by Karl Ritter and Zeynep Bilginsoy, Associated Press, January 21, 2023:
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Turkey on Saturday canceled a planned visit by Sweden’s defense minister in response to anti-Turkish protests that increased tension between the two countries as Sweden seeks Turkey’s approval to join NATO.
A far-right activist from Denmark received permission from police to stage a protest outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm where he burned the Quran, Islam’s holy book. A separate pro-Kurdish demonstration was held later Saturday in the Swedish capital.
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the scheduled Jan. 27 visit by his Swedish counterpart Pål Jonson no longer held “any importance or point,” because Sweden continued to allow “disgusting” demonstrations against Turkey.
Jonson tweeted that he had met Akar on Friday in Ramstein, Germany, where they “agreed to postpone” the meeting in Ankara.
“Relations with Turkey are very important for Sweden and we look forward to continuing the dialogue on common security and defense issues at a later date,” he wrote.
The bid by historically nonaligned Sweden and Finland to join NATO in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been held up by Ankara, which has accused Sweden in particular of being soft on Kurdish militants and other groups that Turkey considers security threats.
The Swedish government’s efforts to improve relations with Turkey have been complicated by demonstrations by pro-Kurdish activists, which have infuriated Turkey’s government. On Saturday, anti-Islam activist Rasmus Paludan added to the tensions by staging a Quran-burning protest outside the Turkish Embassy.
Surrounded by police, Paludan carried out his protest while making disparaging remarks about immigrants and Islam. About 100 people gathered nearby for a peaceful counterdemonstration.
In a separate protest later Saturday, a few hundred pro-Kurdish and anti-NATO activists marched through downtown Stockholm. Demonstrators waved flags of various Kurdish groups, including the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a decades-long insurgency against Turkey. The PKK is considered a terrorist group in Turkey, the European Union and the United States, but its symbols aren’t banned in Sweden.
The protesters also held up flags with the face of imprisoned Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan and walked over a photo of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Swedish officials have stressed that freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Swedish Constitution and gives people extensive rights to express their views publicly, though incitement to violence or hate speech isn’t allowed. Demonstrators must apply to police for a permit for a public gathering. Police can deny such permits only on exceptional grounds, such as risks to public safety.
Turkish officials condemned the Quran-burning protest and Swedish authorities for allowing it.
“Permitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of ‘freedom of expression’ is completely unacceptable. This is an outright hate crime,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. In another statement, following the pro-Kurdish protest, Ankara said that Sweden was in “clear violation” of the joint memorandum signed between Turkey, Sweden and Finland in June by not preventing “terror organization propaganda.”
Ibrahim Kalin, Erdogan’s spokesman, called the Quran-burning a hateful crime against humanity, while Erdogan’s nationalist ally, Devlet Bahceli, said parliament wouldn’t ratify Sweden’s NATO membership “under these conditions.”
“Sweden has a far-reaching freedom of expression, but it does not imply that the Swedish Government, or myself, support the opinions expressed,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billström tweeted.
About 100 people gathered outside the Swedish Consulate in Istanbul on Saturday night, where demonstrators burned a Swedish flag and shouted slogans like “hands raised against the Quran will be broken.” A small group also gathered outside the Swedish Embassy in Ankara.
Earlier in January, an effigy of Erdogan was hung from a lamppost during a protest by Kurds. Turkey denounced a decision by a Swedish prosecutor not to investigate and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson called the protest an act of “sabotage” against Sweden’s bid to join NATO. Turkey summoned the Swedish ambassador earlier this week and canceled a visit by the speaker of the Swedish parliament in reaction to the incident.
All NATO members need to ratify in their parliaments the accession requests by Sweden and Finland, which were made after Russia’s war on Ukraine prompted the Nordic countries to drop their longstanding policies of military nonalignment. While Turkey says it has no objection to NATO’s growth, it won’t ratify the bids until its demands, which include extraditions of alleged terror suspects, are met….
“Sweden grants permission to burn the KORAN outside Turkish embassy – as Erdogan continues to block country’s NATO bid,” by James Reynolds, MailOnline, January 20, 2023:
A convicted far-right leader in Sweden has received permission to burn a copy of the Koran outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm – as the country battles to convince President Erdogan to let it join NATO.
Rasmus Paludan, 41, has a permit to burn the book in front of the building on Saturday 21 January, to coincide with two related demonstrations planned in protest of Turkey.
Danish-Swedish Paludan said he wants to ‘mark some freedom of speech’ after the hanging of an effigy of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan near the Stockholm city hall provoked a strong response in Turkey. Sweden also condemned the stunt.
Riots erupted in Malmö in April last year after Paludan visited Sweden ahead of an election, intending to burn the Koran to drum up support for his movement, and previously in August 2020 when activists burned the Koran after Paludan was arrested….
“Sweden must immediately act to fight against those who target Islam – Fahrettin Altun,” Trend, January 21, 2023:
BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 21. Sweden must immediately act to prevent hatred filled provocations against Türkiye and fight against those who target Islam, Fahrettin Altun, head of the Public Relations Office of the Presidential Administration of Türkiye, wrote on his Twitter page, Trend reports.
Emphasizing that the Swedish authorities cannot hide behind the excuses such as freedom of expression and assembly, Altun said: “The so-called protestors are nothing but provocateurs who are determined to sow seeds of hatred against Türkiye and Islam. The Swedish authorities must wake up to the reality of terror groups intent on preventing Sweden’s NATO membership by poisoning their relationship with us”….
Michael Copeland says
Is “sowing seeds of hatred” something that Turkey objects to?
Islam itself does much more than “sow seeds”: it INSTRUCTS hatred.
“Between us and you enmity and hatred forever…” – Koran 60:4, part of Islamic law.
Aum says
Well Said.
John ..Smith says
Spot on Michael
Jim J Fox says
Turkey must be expelled from NATO with extreme prejudice. It’s membership dates from Ataturk’s era when Turkey was a decent modern nation before the Islamic takeover.
bill carr says
It actually dates from the Cold War era, when it was on the front line for NATO v USSR. Much USA military and I believe weapons are on Turkish soil. I also think it is abd idea to sell them advabnced technology like F16s as I am sure they will allow Russia ccess to the tech. I am all in favour of them being expelled as the
behaviour of Erdogan’s regime has violated the terms of membership many times. Occcupation of N.Cyprus, invasion of Syria, and agression against Greece a fellow Nato member. Erdogan has also told Turks living in EU countries they should not integrate.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Greece should formally tell NATO that it refuses to be in the same organization as Turkey, and that NATO should choose who it wants. If Turkey stays, Greece leaves, and if Turkey leaves, Greece stays. Greece should also strengthen military ties w/ Armenia, Israel and India, and make it clear to NATO that they don’t mind taking them on. It’ll be interesting to see how many European populations will tolerate their people being sent to fight a war against Greece on Greek soil
commonsense says
Well said and wise, to boot.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Precisely! Also, at the time, Turkey had visions somewhat compatible w/ Western Europe. That’s changed since Erdogan came to power, since his visions is that of both an islamic and a Turkic revival. In fact, Russia – even this Russia – is more compatible w/ NATO’s charter than is Turkey. Had Russia been admitted into NATO, NATO could have been a useful organization in confronting China, rather than ask to put fighting climate change in its mission
Only thing: NATO doesn’t have any expulsion mechanisms, so they are stuck w/ Turkey. What should happen is that all countries that disapprove of Turkey should quietly start queueing out of NATO: in fact, that might even make Russia less paranoid about NATO, particularly if the US leaves
OLD GUY says
Turkey condemns in the strongest terms the vile attack on our holy book the Quran. Funny Turkey fails to condemn the vile attack of other religions holy books, churches, temples and religious beliefs. Turkey promotes it and supports attacks on non-islamic people and their religious following.
Turkey should be kicked out of NATO.
GreekEmpress says
*1
Vishnujana says
If Türkiye wants to split Cyprus they should split Türkiye with the indigenous Kurds with all due respect (the 3rd or 4th largest ethnicity in the Near East).
࿗Infidel࿘ says
More than that. Not only should they split out Kurdistan: they should annex some of the eastern regions, such as Kars, to neighbors like Georgia and Armenia. Hatay province, which was historically a part of Syria, should revert to it, Eastern Thrace, including Istanbul, should go to Bulgaria and Greece, as should spots like Troy, Nicaea, Iconium
John ..Smith says
Like most people I’m against book burning, but not when it comes to the quaran. Every quran should be destroyed as they are manuals of hatred and murder.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Precisely!
somehistory says
Agree. There is nothing in the book of demonic trash that should be preserved.
somehistory says
If I was a country, I’d tell turkey to buzz off.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
NATO should overrule Turkey and allow in both Sweden and Finland. Let Turkey stomp out of NATO if it wants. It’s high time the US too pulled out of bases like Incirlik and their base in Qatar, and relocated them to Greece/Bulgaria and Israel respectively
John ..Smith says
Agreed Infidel NATO should overrule Turkey. They should also remove all their nuclear arsenal out of Turkey, but I honestly can’t see Erdogan allowing them to do that.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
What can he do to stop them? Send troops into Incirlik? How hard is it for the US to bomb that base, should it be made difficult?
I think NATO wants Turkey more than Turkey wants NATO, and w/o good reason
Wellington says
Fight those who target Islam if Sweden wants to join NATO? Screw that.
Why NATO was formed and why Islam was formed is about as polar opposite as could be found. The former to preserve liberty and the best of mankind and the latter to crush liberty and keep in place so much of the worst of mankind.
Islam and NATO should be mortal enemies. So, eff Turkey here and especially the de facto sultan, Erdogan.