Kuwait has decided to print 100,000 copies of the Holy Quran translated into Swedish in a project aimed at emphasising Islamic principles, and values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence among all human beings.

The State-run news agency Kuna recently reported that the General Authority for the Care of Printing and Publishing the Holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet and their Sciences made an announcement in this regard following a directive by Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf al Ahmad al Sabah to distribute the holy books to mosques, libraries, schools and other organisations across Sweden. Dr Fahad al Daihani, the Chairman of the printing authority, said that the Kuwaiti Government‘s goal was to emphasise tolerance and the true teachings of Islam.

The move comes amid growing concerns over the desecration of copies of the Quran in some European countries, with the latest incidents occurring in Sweden and Germany, sparking international condemnation, outrage and diplomatic backlash. The United Nations Human Rights Council, which condemned recent attacks on the Muslim holy book, voted on the issue of religious hatred on July 12, 2023. The move came after Pakistan proposed a Draft Resolution, condemning the desecration of the Quran and demanding countries take action to stop it.

Ahmet Allus, a Swedish activist of Syrian origin who obtained permission from the Swedish Police to burn the Torah and the Bible in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm earlier in July 2023, has chosen not to desecrate the sacred books in response to the provocations of burning the copy of the holy Quran. “I am a Muslim, and I cannot burn sacred and religious books,” he stressed. Allus explained that his intention was, in fact, to denounce those who burn sacred books, such as the Quran, in the Nordic country.

Referring to the provocations of burning the copy of the Quran under Police protection in Sweden, Allus stated: “There is a difference between Freedom of Expression and insulting ethnic groups. Burning the Quran and other religious books should be considered a hate crime.” He further said: “I want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah, another the Bible, another the Quran, there will be war here. What I wanted to show is that it’s not right to do it.“

In June, an extremist burned a copy of the Quran under Police protection in front of the Stockholm Mosque in Sweden, eliciting widespread condemnation from across the Islamic World, including Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco and Mauritania.

Source: TRT World (Instagram)

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Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das