Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has “strongly condemned” the desecration of the Quran by far-right Dutch activists. The ministry’s statement on Friday was aimed at Dutch far-right leader Edwin Wagensveld, who stomped a page out of the Quran near the parliament building in The Hague on Sunday.
On Thursday, the foreign ministry summoned Sweden’s envoy to express the Malaysian government’s “objection and disappointment” with Sweden for not taking action to stop Rasmus Paluda, a Danish far-right political leader, from burning a Quran on Saturday near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. “Malaysia is appalled that such an Islamophobic act has been repeated within the last few days despite global condemnation,” the ministry said.
The foreign ministry pressed Sweden on Thursday to take “serious measures to combat all forms of violence and hatred against Islam”. Failing to do so would allow Islamophobia and xenophobia to continue to prevail, the ministry said in a statement after its meeting with the Swedish charge d’affaires. Local media in Malaysia reported that groups of protesters had gathered on Friday at offices housing the embassies of Sweden and the Netherlands to protest the desecration of the Quran. Estimates of the numbers of protesters ranged from dozens to 100 and possibly as many as 1,000, according to one report.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim also commented on the issue, describing the desecration of the Quran as a “vile act”, a “hate crime” and a “serious provocation against Muslims around the world”. Azmi Abdul Hamid, chairman of the Malaysian Advisory Council for Islamic Organizations, said there would be international consequences for what had taken place.
