Religion

Russia's hand seen behind Stockholm Qur'an burning that roiled Muslim world

By Nabil Abdullah al-Tamimi

A protester holds a copy of the Qur'an during a demonstration in Istanbul on January 22, after a far-right politician burned a copy of the holy book near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. Media reports suggest Russia had a hand in the incident, which has stalled Sweden's NATO bid. [Yasin Akgul/AFP]

A protester holds a copy of the Qur'an during a demonstration in Istanbul on January 22, after a far-right politician burned a copy of the holy book near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm. Media reports suggest Russia had a hand in the incident, which has stalled Sweden's NATO bid. [Yasin Akgul/AFP]

ADEN -- Muslims across the Middle East reacted with rage to the burning of a Qur'an during a January 22 protest near Türkiye's embassy in Stockholm, blaming Sweden and "the West" for violating Islam and offending followers of the faith.

But the real culprit is almost certainly Russia, analysts say.

Why?

Backlash in Muslim-majority Türkiye was largely responsible for derailing Sweden's bid to join NATO, for one thing -- playing directly into the hands of the Kremlin, which seeks to stop the bloc's expansion as it carries out its war.

Lebanese protest outside the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque in Beirut on January 27 against the burning of a Qur'an in Stockholm. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned the burning of the holy book as 'deeply disrespectful'. [Anwar Amro/AFP]

Lebanese protest outside the Mohammed al-Amin Mosque in Beirut on January 27 against the burning of a Qur'an in Stockholm. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson condemned the burning of the holy book as 'deeply disrespectful'. [Anwar Amro/AFP]

Fueling anti-Western sentiment across the Middle East is another move that supports Russia's agenda, as the Kremlin seeks to spread its influence in the region and shore up support amid its ongoing and unprovoked war on Ukraine.

So what happened?

According to Vice news and other media outlets, journalist Chang Frick -- who has worked for Russian Television (RT) and other outlets that peddle the Kremlin's propaganda -- paid the demonstration fee for the Stockholm event.

Danish far-right activist Rasmus Paludan, who set fire to a Qur'an at the event, told Swedish journalists that Frick also had suggested burning Islam's holy book.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson swiftly condemned the Qur'an burning as "deeply disrespectful", and Swedish police on Wednesday (February 8) denied permission for another protest involving the burning of a Qur'an.

"It can be hard to determine if someone is working with Russia because they're a troll or if Russia itself is directing the troll," a NATO security official told Vice.

"It could be [Frick] is just some far right creep who likes burning Qur'ans. Or it could be a Russian intelligence operation. But either way, it's helping Russia to see NATO members in conflict," the source said.

"Plausible deniability has been the trademark of many Russian hybrid actions worldwide," the Euractiv media outlet said.

"Russia has every motivation to prevent Sweden from acceding to NATO," it said.

"Moreover, it has a vested interest in fueling anti-Western sentiments."

An act of provocation

Anti-Western sentiments were in evidence across the Middle East and beyond following the Stockholm incident, with protests held in Türkiye, Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran as well as in Muslim-majority Indonesia.

In Sanaa and other Yemeni cities, protesters raised banners condemning the burning of the Qur'an as provocative of Muslims' feelings and sanctities.

Yemen's government condemned the incident, with the foreign ministry describing the burning of the Qur'an as "a deliberate vile act and a stark provocation of Muslims' feelings".

It expressed its "firm rejection of attacks on religious sensibilities of all" and of hate speech, warning that "the consequences of this act will fuel enmity and divisions in societies".

"This is an act that is condemned by all, and the angry protests in Sanaa and other cities are a normal popular reaction," political analyst Faisal Ahmed told Al-Mashareq.

Russia was probably involved in the incident, even if indirectly, he said.

"The man who paid for the permit to hold the protest outside the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital, Chang Frick, is closely linked to Moscow and Russian President Vladimir Putin," Ahmed said.

"Frick has close ties to Russia's RT for which he worked as a correspondent, and he seemed to be trying to serve Russia's goal of preventing Sweden from joining NATO," he added -- noting that Frick appears to have succeeded in this goal.

He said Frick is responsible even if he only paid for the protest permit but did not ask anyone to burn the Qur'an, as the permit would necessitate monitoring the slogans that would be used to ensure they did not veer off course.

Burning Islam's holy book is "a hostile act that touches Muslims' nerves", Ahmed said.

This sensitivity makes it easy for malign actors "to manipulate Muslims' feelings and minds to implement political agendas" in service of Russia's agenda, he said.

'Russia is ridiculing Muslims'

"Protests aren't enough to express rejection of the burning of the Qur'an," economist Abdul Aziz Thabet told Al-Mashareq.

Some protesters in the Middle East have called for the boycott of Swedish products "as an economic weapon which will have a positive impact", he said.

But Sweden is probably not to blame.

Thabet noted that Finland's foreign minister Pekka Haavisto said Russia may have been involved in the Qur'an-burning to impede Sweden's accession to NATO.

"The Finnish foreign minister's statements didn't come from nowhere but were based on evidence and clues that are being probed to prove Paludan's ties to Russia," Thabet said, in reference to the Danish activist who set fire to the Qur'an.

A confirmation of Russia's involvement in the incident would prove that "Russia is ridiculing Muslims and their holy book for trivial political ends", he said.

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Humanity and humanitarianism mean that people should not hurt each other. A man should not do something as one finds his happiness in the sadness of another. No one can prove that hate begets love, but hate begets more hate. A person should know what things that, if I finish, another person will get disappointed with. It would not be so difficult if hateful acts were done in such a backward and ignorant society. In such a society, which is a civilized, educated and cosmopolitan society like that of Stockholm, what would it mean? This person has done an abysmal job. It's a shame. Muslims are frustrated by disrespect for their religious book (Qur'an). They have faith in it. It is a celestial book like other sacred books. I am sure that burning it will not do any good for such sick people. There is no benefit in doing such things without harming the status of the citizens of that country. Humans of the world are one body and members of one body. Let's love, let's spread love, say no to hate, and let's live.

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Although the Holy Quran is safe because Allah says that the Holy Quran is safe. The message of the Holy Quran is safe. The message of the Holy Quran is that Allah is One, and Muhammad is His Messenger. Moses is the Messenger of Allah. Jesus is the Messenger of Allah. Abraham is the Messenger of Allah, Mary is pure... and whoever insults the Holy Quran, he insults himself and thinks that he is insulting the above messages. But right now, as I am writing this, there are not hundreds but tens of thousands of people in the world who have the Holy Quran safe in their hearts. If cursed people like Rasmus Paludan set fire to the Holy Quran, it does not mean it will be destroyed; such people spread hatred among the world's inhabitants. They are cursed. People in their own society hate such people. We want the Swedish government and international institutions to prosecute this man for spreading hatred among the people. On the other hand, I want all Muslims, especially Afghans, not to make enmity with the whole country for one person. According to a study by the Pew (American) organization, more than 800,000 people in Sweden are Muslims, which makes up more than 8% of the country's 10 million population. This means that Muslims in Sweden live a peaceful life and have access to work and government services the same as other Swedes.

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I have nothing more to say. All what I say is that, death to those who oppose the holy religion of Islam. May God destroy all those who are against the holy religion of Islam. Whoever desecrates the Holy Qur'an, May God the Almighty destroy them.

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In my opinion, it is not acceptable to point out only to Russia the incident of burning the Holy Quran because it happened not only now but even before. Such incidents have happened in many non-Muslim countries, and the Muslim religious Book (the holy Quran) has been burned dozens of times. The incident of burning the Quran, however, has provoked a wide range of reactions, Allah Almighty protects this holy Book, and Allah has taken responsibility for its protection. No matter how many objections we (Muslims) made, those who burned the Quran were not punished in the past and will not be punished in the future. But thanks to Allah who protects his Book and protects it from evildoers. We Muslims respect all heavenly books, and we believe that God willing, books of other religions and religious issues will never be insulted. Islam is the religion of peace, and the Quran is a book that has guided Muslims to the right path. Regarding the discussion in your report about Russia, you have put all the blame on Russia. Still, if Russia wanted to do so, it would do it in its own country; last year, President Putin declared Islam as the official religion in his country, so why should they do this? In Russia, Muslims can worship freely, they have mosques and regular places of worship, but in other countries, there are very few places for Muslims. Other prayers, however, cannot be performed with the congregation in Western countries; even the Friday prayer, which is held once a week, is very

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I am not talking about Russia, but in most Western countries, especially in European countries, there are many good mosques for Muslims. Everyone can go to their mosque, pray and read the Holy Quran. A few months ago, Muslims opened a large mosque in Cologne, Germany, which may be the unique mosque all over Europe.

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