It is not the case that they wish to uphold ‘freedom of expression’ or any supposed Western value for that matter, since it is forbidden to carry Nazi symbols in Sweden.

Several instances of Quran-burning took place in Sweden, the most notable of which occurred in June 2023, when a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee ripped out and set fire to pages of the Quran outside the Stockholm Mosque. This was done under the watchful eye of the Swedish foreign ministry, stating in the wake of the aggression that Sweden has a “constitutionally protected right to freedom of assembly, expression and demonstration”. On Monday, 31st of July, the same men who partook in the initial burning kicked and stomped on a Quran before setting some pages from the book alight.

Indeed, the act of burning or insulting the Quran by individuals or groups is less important than the host government allowing such acts and even coming to its defense, since sedition is worse than killing and this fosters an environment of hatred, whereby the effects are more far-reaching. It is worth exploring the real purpose for the authorities to allow this matter if it is taken into consideration that burning the Quran leads to sympathy for Muslims as it constitutes a moral assault on them, more so than it leads to Islamophobia.

Allowing the burning of the Quran is not only related to generating Islamophobia, rather it is part of an activity against all values and religions at the present time.

The act of burning the Quran is often an individual act, resulting from grudges or is funded by external forces serving political goals.  The state allowing Quran burning is also motivated by political goals, and it is not the case that they wish to uphold ‘freedom of expression’ or any supposed Western value for that matter, since it is forbidden to carry Nazi symbols in Sweden. One can also glance at the national laws that prohibit discrimination in various aspects of life based on ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, or physical disability.

It is poignant to ask, why when it comes to the sanctities of religions the legislation does not come to its defense, whilst the resulting effects of attacking what is holy on society are worse than acts of personal discrimination against individuals. The reality is that the subject matter has nothing to do with fighting religion or hostility towards any religion per se- Capitalist Western governments do not care about religion, rather they employ it as a tool to achieve political goals and objectives based on conflicts and strife.

This tactic is a state of continuity of the previous political orientation whereby the American right sought to create a ‘New Middle East’, which required reviving an environment conducive to terrorism in Islamic countries and Islamophobia in Western countries, employing everything that helps create strife between religions. This matter has led to exaggerated extremism among groups and sectors in Islamic countries, the West, and in countries where ethnicities are mixed. Since the West has exhausted its goals and closed the chapter on the ‘New Middle East’ project, the reality is that generating Islamophobia is no longer in and of itself a goal for governments.

Given that the priorities of the West have shifted and are no longer the same, what is the purpose of allowing a free violation of the symbols of religions? The reality is that this tactic is simply a continuity of the past and has become part of a broader and more comprehensive goal, despite the changing policies and priorities. Allowing the burning of the Quran is not only related to generating Islamophobia, rather it is part of an activity against all values and religions at the present time.

The goal of America, the leader of capitalism in the world that is followed by Western countries, is not confined to fighting Islam and its extensions, nor is it confined to fighting Iran as an active and influential case of true Islamic action in existing conflicts, as it was in the Trump era. The current goal of capitalism is to reshape the collective mind of mankind to qualify for submission to any goal they may have in mind, whilst the goal has become more comprehensive and encompasses the destruction of values and morality.

These Western policies may resonate in most parts of the world, but not in the Islamic world, because the provisions of Islam are not subject to modification and change, as mentioned in the Holy Quran, ‘take whatever the Messenger gave you, and what he forbade you, refrain from’. Islam possesses the alternative and possesses the call to spread it, and entrenched within it is to come to its defence. Even the Western puppets among the rulers of the Muslims do not possess anything from the matter when it comes to clear evidence and rulings, for example, it is not acceptable for a ruler of Islamic countries to forego Jerusalem to the Zionists, even if ties were normalised with the Zionist entity and this was public knowledge.

Moreover, creating extremist reactions from Muslims is another goal, and a part of nurturing Islamophobia is creating social unrest. The reality is that Islamophobia is a goal that serves political agendas, for example it serves as a psychological precondition to further wars in Muslim countries, the provides justification for expanding counter-terrorism laws that weaken the identity of a Muslim in the West as is effective in creating a deterrent, so the masses are not influenced by the objective vision of Islam. The effect of allowing actions such as the burning of the Quran is to create an atmosphere unprepared for the spread of Islam.

However, this also creates a backlash, which is the encouragement of disorder, crime and terrorism, attacking the societal structure of multi-ethnic societies, the increased competition between races and the lack of integration between races and religions. This also backfires on the economic fronts, where boycotts ensue and production becomes less, as a result of instability.
 
The time has come for this incitement and violation to stop once and for all through influential Islamic action, whether at the level of influential Islamic countries, Islamic organizations and parties, or the Muslim public in all countries. Take for example Iraq expelling their Swedish ambassador and Iran summoning Swedish diplomats over desecrations of the Quran.

Pressure should also be applied to enact laws and material legislation at the level of international organizations and Western countries that allow this matter. As a result of the ensuing pressure, last month the Human Rights Council at the UN condemned the burning of the Quran as a religious hate act, urging countries to “address, prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred”. Moreover, Denmark is currently exploring legal action against Quran burnings, as it has severely affected international relations and heightened diplomatic tensions between the country and throughout West Asia.