Ankara urges Denmark to take urgent action to prevent Koran burnings

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Saturday urged Denmark to take urgent action to prevent burnings of the Koran, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

In a phone call with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Fidan condemned the "continuous vile attacks against Koran". He told Rasmussen that it was unacceptable to allow such actions under the guise of freedom of expression, the source said.

Rasmussen on Saturday wrote on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter: "Turkey and Denmark are close allies. Important to not let these acts succeed in creating division." He also reiterated Denmark's "strong condemnation of these provocative acts by few individuals."
The comments came after a small group of anti-Islam activists set fire to Korans in front of the Egyptian and Turkish embassies in Copenhagen on Tuesday, after similar protests in Denmark and Sweden over recent weeks.

Denmark and Sweden have deplored the burning of Islam's holy book but say they cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.

ISLAMOPHOBIA IN EUROPE HIT 'ALARMING LEVEL' WITH ATTACKS ON QURAN

In a phone call with his Danish counterpart, Türkiye's foreign minister on Saturday stressed Ankara's concern over the alarming rise of islamophobia in Europe, especially in attacks on the holy Quran.

During his call with Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Hakan Fidan said, "Islamophobia in Europe has reached an alarming level, even turning into an epidemic, and allowing such despicable actions under the guise of freedom of expression is unacceptable," said a Foreign Ministry statement.

Recent months have seen multiple instances of Quran burning or desecration in several European countries, especially in northern Europe, drawing widespread condemnation from Türkiye, Saudi Arabia, and other countries.