The leader of the extremist anti-Islam “Pegida” movement in the Netherlands, Edwin Wagensfeld, tore a copy of the Holy Qur’an in the Dutch city of The Hague, and this came two days after the Swedish extremist Rasmus Paludan burned the Holy Qur’an near the Turkish embassy in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, last Saturday.
Yesterday, Monday, the leader of the Pegida movement in the Netherlands, via Twitter, shared a video clip conveying his provocative act, which took place in front of the parliament building in The Hague. According to what was reported by the media, the Dutch police granted him permission for this act, provided that he does not burn the Holy Book of Muslims, but he later, as appeared in the video, burned the torn pages of the Qur’an.
???? Another attack on the Quran: Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of the anti-Islamic organization PEGIDA, tore up the pages of the Quran under police surveillance in The Hague, Netherlands. pic.twitter.com/wSXKFoizo4
— Daily Islamist (@dailyislamist) January 23, 2023
In the video, members of the Dutch police appeared standing behind the right-wing extremist without moving a finger, while he was tearing the pages of the Qur’an and stepping on them.
And in October 2022, the Dutch police arrested Edwin Wagensfeld while he was about to burn a copy of the Qur’an during a crowd attended by a group of Pegida supporters in Rotterdam.
The Netherlands incident comes after the leader of the Danish Hard Line party, Paludan, burned a copy of the Qur’an near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, amid tight police protection that prevented anyone from approaching him while he was committing his heinous act.
denunciation wave
The incident sparked anger among Muslims and condemnations from Arab and Islamic countries that considered it a provocative act against the feelings of a billion and a half Muslims. Yesterday, Monday, Turkey’s head of religious affairs, Ali Erbaş, said that his country would file lawsuits before courts in 120 countries, to take a stand against attacks on Islam and its symbols.
#New YorkThe Turkish community is protesting in front of the consulate #Sweden Against burning a copy of the Holy Quran, with the participation of the Arab and Assyrian communitieshttps://t.co/C4bzeVsfpT pic.twitter.com/HtwzQYZGXb
— ANADOLU AGENCY (AR) (@aa_arabic) January 24, 2023
Today, Tuesday, the Turkish community in New York organized a protest demonstration in front of the Swedish Consulate, rejecting the burning of a copy of the Noble Qur’an in front of the Turkish embassy in Sweden.
The Alliance of Civilizations of the United Nations, the European Union, Germany, the United States and other Western countries also condemned the burning of the Noble Qur’an, calling on the Swedish authorities to take steps towards it.
Commenting on the widespread reactions, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Bilstrom expressed his rejection of the provocative action, and said – in a tweet via Twitter – that the anti-Islamic provocations are appalling.