The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday strongly condemned the burning of the holy Quran last week in Sweden and said that international law should be used to stop the hatred targeting religions.

The statement by the OIC, most of whose members have a Muslim-majority population, was issued after an extraordinary meeting in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah was called to discuss Wednesday's incident.

"We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred," OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said.

A man tore up and burned a Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holidays. The act angered OIC member Türkiye whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to the NATO military alliance.

The act has elicited widespread condemnation from the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania.

Swedish police had granted permission for a protest to take place. But after the burning, police charged the man who carried it out with agitation against an ethnic or national group.

The statement of the group expressed disappointment over the authorities allowing it.

The statement also included a call for the OIC secretary-general to send a letter to the Swedish government on behalf of the member countries and to evaluate conducting an official visit to both Sweden and the European Commission to "express the condemnation of the incident of the burning of the Quran and demand necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of that criminal act under the pretext of freedom of expression."

It also urged OIC member countries to make "collective efforts against vile acts" targeting the Quran and other symbols of Islam, emphasizing that exercising freedom of expression also entails responsibilities along with certain rights.

The statement called on the international community to stop those who engage in provocative acts against the sacred values of Muslims in the name of freedom of expression and encouraged civil society organizations in countries where actions are taken against Islamic symbols to resort to legal means in response.

It also called for the acceleration of the implementation of the "Plan of Action for Combating Islamophobia" adopted at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly and urged the OIC to continue its fight against Islamophobia at regional and international forums.

The OIC secretary-general was also invited to review diplomatic ties with countries where "the sanctity of the Quran and other Islamic values, symbols and sanctities are desecrated with the consent of the concerned country, including suspending the status of a special envoy."

Tightening entry rules

The Swedish government said Sunday that it wants to stop those people "who seek to come to Sweden and commit a crime" in the wake of the burning of the Quran.

"In May this year, the government decided to reintroduce border controls. We were clear about the reasons for this: It was primarily due to the elevated threat to Sweden linked to events such as previous demonstrations at which Qurans were burned," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The statement said the Justice Ministry has been briefed about how the Swedish police authority is organizing controls at Sweden's internal borders in light of events.

"In Sweden, freedom of expression enjoys strong protection. But naturally, this does not mean that the government supports every opinion that is expressed. Public gatherings that are entirely legal can also be polarizing and offensive," the ministry said.

"Demonstrations like that held on Wednesday are just that. And they also have serious consequences for Sweden's internal safety and security," it added.

"Experience tells us that both individuals who initiate these kinds of demonstrations and individuals who are prepared to use extreme violence in response to them often come to Sweden from other countries," the ministry said, citing Momika as an example, who only has a temporary residence permit in Sweden.

The police have the right to prevent people from entering Sweden if they threaten important public interests under the rule of law, it said.

"It is crucial that we have effective border controls," the ministry added.

Later on Sunday, the Swedish Foreign Ministry sent a written statement to Swedish state television SVT.

"The Swedish government understands that the Islamophobic acts of individuals carried out during the recent demonstrations in the country may be offensive to Muslims," it said.

The statement "strongly" condemned these acts, which "do not reflect the views of the Swedish government in any way."

It also described the burning of the Quran and other holy books as an "explicit provocation."

"Racism, xenophobia and related intolerance have no place in Sweden or Europe," it added.

NATO talks

The incident could pose a serious problem for Sweden’s NATO membership application, which they submitted more than a year ago and has been held up partly because of similar incidents in the past.

Finland, Sweden and Türkiye had agreed to hold a high-level meeting in Brussels before the July 11-12 NATO summit in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, however the latest incident risks annulment of the meeting.

Türkiye in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Quran near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.

In the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May 2022.

Finland has been a member of the alliance since April 2023, while Sweden still lacks Türkiye and Hungary’s approval.

Ankara is blocking Sweden’s accession mainly because Sweden is taking insufficient action against terrorist organizations in the country.

Recent provocative demonstrations by terrorist sympathizers and Islamophobic figures in Stockholm have led Turkish leaders to question Sweden’s commitment to take the steps necessary for NATO membership and continuing terror-affiliated and anti-Türkiye protests risk endangering Sweden’s NATO bid further.

Ankara said Sweden must first take a more explicit stance against terrorists. Türkiye has frequently voiced that it does not oppose NATO expansion but criticizes Stockholm for not taking action against elements that pose a security threat to Ankara.