Quran Burning: Govt Summons Swedish Envoy, Expresses Disappointment

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday informed that her ministry had summoned Swedish Ambassador to Indonesia Marina Berg last week over the recent burning of copies of the Quran by a right-wing leader in Sweden.

"So, last week (the Swedish ambassador) was (summoned)," she said after a working meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives at Senayan Parliament Complex here on Monday.

The Foreign Ministry's director general for America and Europe, Umar Hadi, summoned Ambassador Berg, she added.

"So, the director general for American and European Affairs has summoned her," she said.

According to Hadi, the summons was intended to express condemnation and disappointment over the burning of the Quran by Swedish-Danish politician Rasmus Paludan in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, Sweden, on January 21, 2023.

"Last week, we summoned the Swedish ambassador. The aim was to convey condemnation and disappointment over the burning of the Quran by a Swedish-Danish citizen," he said.

During the meeting, he also asked the Swedish government to ensure that similar provocative events do not happen again.

Ambassador Berg listened carefully to Indonesia’s views regarding the incident and described the burning of the Quran as disrespectful, he said.

"She reiterated the statement by the Swedish prime minister (Ulf Kristersson) that the action was indeed disrespectful. It was an action that was not good; everyone didn't like it," he said.

However, the ambassador explained that the act was not considered a violation of Swedish law, he added.

"Because Sweden, she said, guarantees freedom of speech. But I told her that freedom of expression is not without limits," he added.

Hadi also said that the ambassador conveyed the need for dialogue regarding the understanding of Islam so that similar incidents do not happen again.

"The Indonesian Government is always ready to (hold a) dialogue with Sweden regarding the diversity of a pluralistic and inclusive society," he said.

As reported by Turkiye's Anadolu news agency, Paludan, the leader of the Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, burned copies of the Quran with the permission of the government and under police protection.

The Swedish government allowed the burning of the Quran because it considered it a part of freedom of expression and opinion.

The incident occurred during demonstrations against Turkey's demand for Sweden to take tough steps against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terror outfit.

ANTARA

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