Man handed suspended sentence in Sweden after burning Quran
Oct 13, 2023
Stockholm [Sweden], October 13: A man in Sweden has been found guilty of incitement to hatred and given a suspended sentence after distributing a video online showing a copy of the Quran burning on a barbecue.
With the clip, the accused was looking to express threats and contempt towards Muslims, the district court of the city of Linkoping ruled on Thursday.
The recording was specifically directed against Muslims, not against Islam as a religion, the court found. According to the TT news agency, this is the first time a Swedish court has considered whether a Quran burning can constitute incitement to hatred.
The 27-year-old made and distributed the video in September 2020 which showed a Quran being burnt on a barbecue together with bacon.
The desecrated scripture is then left outside the entrance to a mosque. Music could be heard in the background of the recording, which the court said was clearly linked to the 2019 mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, which left 51 people dead.
The man denied having committed a crime, according to TT. Instead, he stated that his message was directed against Islam as a religion.
Source: Qatar Tribune
