SANA’A (Dispatches) – Crowds of Yemenis have taken to the streets throughout the capital Sana’a to censure the desecration of Islam’s holy book Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark, calling for the boycott of all goods produced in the two countries.
In a statement, the protesters blasted the burning of the highly sacred scriptures in the two European Union nations as “heinous crimes,” blaming the Zionist regime for instigating such sacrilegious acts.
The statement also called on all Muslim countries to expel Swedish and Danish ambassadors and boycott all products from the two Western nations, as well as products of any country that allows such blasphemous acts on its territory.
The angry protesters further emphasized that Sweden and Denmark “must apologize to all Muslims and pledge never to grant permits” for such criminal actions again.
Addressing the crowds, the deputy minister of guidance and Hajj and Umrah affairs, Fouad Naji, pointed out that “the economic boycott is an effective weapon.”
He noted that Yemen is going to boycott all Swedish and Danish products.
The Yemeni official noted that “The Zionist, Jewish lobby is behind those who burned a copy of the Qur’an”, adding that the Zionist regime “wants to divert attention from what’s going on in occupied Palestine and the crisis that is gripping the temporary entity.”
In the third such incident in Denmark in less than a week, five anti-Islam extremists set fire to a Qur’an in front of the Egyptian embassy in Copenhagen on Tuesday, following Qur’an burnings in nearby Sweden that enraged Muslims.
Denmark and Sweden have said they deplore the burning of the Qur’an but cannot prevent it under rules protecting so-called free speech. Last week, protesters in Iraq set the Swedish embassy in Baghdad ablaze.
Tuesday’s demonstration in Copenhagen by a group called “Danish Patriots” followed Qur’an burnings the group staged on Monday and last week in front of the Iraqi embassy. Two such incidents have taken place in Sweden over the past month.
Iraq’s foreign ministry on Monday called on authorities of European Union countries to “quickly reconsider so-called freedom of expression and the right to demonstrate” in light of the Qur’an burnings.
Turkey on Monday said it strongly condemned a “despicable attack” on the Qur’an and called on Denmark to take necessary measures to prevent this “hate crime” against Islam.