Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed his deep concern regarding growing Muslim anger about the ongoing rise in requests for burnings of the Quran in his country.
“There is a clear risk of something serious happening,” he said.
After being criticised about his apparent silence over the burning of holy scriptures as a form of protest in his country, Kristersson has for the first time publicly spoken about the issue.
A growing number of Swedes are requesting permission to burn Qurans, causing consternation among the Swedish police and increasing outrage in the domestic Muslim community and abroad.
Kristersson admitted: “If they [requests for Quran burnings] are granted, we are going to face some days where there is a clear risk of something serious happening.
“I am extremely worried about what it could lead to,” he added.
Kristersson said on Instagram: “In the language of the Swedish security services, we have gone from a legitimate target to a priority target,” he added, describing the situation as “very serious”. He said extra security measures and other preparations are being taken.
The Swedish Prime Minister pointed out that it is the police who are responsible for deciding whether to authorise the demonstrations.
The country’s security services have raised the threat level to three on a scale of five, meaning there is an “elevated threat” of an attack.
On July26, Kristersson and other Swedish government officials claim that their nation is facing a “disinformation campaign”, orchestrated by “Russia-backed actors,” designed to tarnish Sweden’s reputation by instigating apparent support for the burnings.
The Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billström said Sweden does not support the burnings, despite the perception some have of that not being the case. He did say that such protests are protected within the framework of freedom-of-speech laws.
He added that he is in contact with the governments of several Islamic countries, trying to help them understand the situation. “We will discuss these issues, and it’s important to stress that this is a long-term issue – there are no quick fixes,” Billström said.
Sweden has already faced some serious problems resulting from the Quran burnings. On July 20, an enraged mob stormed the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and set it on fire.
The Swedish protests are also cited as one of the main reasons Turkey is blocking the ascension of the country into NATO.
Three new applications have been lodged with the police requesting the burning of more such books as the diplomatic fallout continues following last week's Quran-burning protest outside a mosque in Stockholm. https://t.co/kMhN5oaiAX
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) July 6, 2023
