STORY: Egypt deeply condemns burning of copy of Munificent Quran in Stockholm by extremist
DATELINE: June 30, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:08
LOCATION: Cairo
CATEGORY: POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Egypt's Foreign Ministry headquarters in Cairo
2. various of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry speaking in a press conference
3. various of Al Azhar headquarters

STORYLINE:

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the recent Quran-burning incident in Sweden during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, emphasizing the responsibility of states to prevent incitement and hate crimes.

In a statement, the ministry called the incident "a shameful act that ignites the feelings of Muslims around the world."

The ministry stressed the importance of upholding the values of respecting others and their sanctities, as well as fostering tolerance, acceptance, and peaceful coexistence between peoples. It also voiced concerns over the rise of Islamophobia in some European states and called on countries to address the issue and prevent the recurrence of such incidents.

On Wednesday, an immigrant from Iraq burned a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the first day of the Islamic Eid al-Adha after he had secured a demonstration permit from Swedish authorities.

This act has been widely condemned by various countries, both Muslim and non-Muslim, across the globe.

On its part, Al-Azhar, the world's most prestigious seat of Sunni learning, renewed on Thursday the call to boycott Swedish products and demanded that Islamic governments take serious and unified positions towards the violations of the burning of the Quran.

Al Azhar has repeatedly condemned the Quran burnings, calling on European states to prevent incitement against Muslims in the West.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Cairo.
(XHTV)