The Muslim Council of Elders strongly condemns the burning of the Holy Quran by far-right groups in the Swedish city of Malmo as the well as the publishing of cartoons defaming Islam’s Prophet Mohammed PBUH by a French magazine. The Council views both acts as blatant provocations intended to deeply offend hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world.

The Council reaffirms its refusal for freedom of expression to be used for the sole purpose of offending the beliefs and symbols of faiths and religions. The Council also wishes to express its concern at the rising trends of hate speech and xenophobia as well as racism towards minorities in Europe, which could prove to be a real threat to stability and security in the West and around the world.

The Council calls on the concerned bodies to take the necessary legal measures to ensure that Muslims and other religious minorities in Europe can live in peace and harmony with their religious symbols and values are respected and protected.