Faruk Zorlu
25 January 2023•Update: 26 January 2023
ANKARA
Türkiye on Wednesday strongly condemned "heinous attacks" on the Muslim holy book Quran, said the country’s National Security Council, calling them "manifestations of anti-Islamic racism."
In a statement released after a three-hour meeting of the National Security Council under the chairmanship of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the capital Ankara, the council said: "The heinous attacks, which are a manifestation of anti-Islamic racism and target the sacred values of billions of people, have been strongly condemned."
The statement came after Edwin Wagensveld, a far-right Dutch politician and the leader of the Islamophobic group Pegida, on Sunday tore out pages from a copy of the Quran in The Hague. Wagensveld's video on Twitter showed that he burned the torn-out pages of the holy book in a pan.
It followed a protest in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm on Saturday, which included the burning of a copy of the Quran with both police protection and permission from the Swedish government.
Those who encourage and protect actions that "undermine values such as freedom of religion, conscience, and thought are partners in hate crime," the statement also said.
On Monday, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom reiterated that his government did not support the burning of holy scriptures but also claimed that freedom of expression "makes it legal from a Swedish point of view."
Highlighting Türkiye's determination to support the open-door policy of NATO, the Turkish National Security Council said: "Countries willing to join NATO must act in accordance with the law and spirit of the alliance."
It is "imperative for Sweden and Finland to fulfill obligations under the June 2022 trilateral memorandum in fighting terror groups with concrete steps," it added.
Criticizing Greece for its provocative actions and rhetoric and armament efforts, the statement also noted that Türkiye will not allow "any fait accompli" targeting its national security and interests.
Sweden and Finland formally applied to join NATO in May last year, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia’s war on Ukraine.
But Türkiye – a NATO member for more than 70 years – voiced objections, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terror groups, including the PKK.
Last June, Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed a memorandum to address Ankara’s legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.
