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The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting in Saudi city of Jeddah on Sunday over a Quran-burning demonstration in Sweden, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu News Agency reported on Friday.
The executive committee of the 57-member organization of Muslim countries will discuss what measures can be taken over the attack on the holy scripture, Anadolu reported, citing diplomatic sources. The meeting was called by Saudi Arabia, which currently holds the rotating OIC presidency, the report said.
The meeting comes as protests continue in Iraq and Iran against Sweden, where the government tried to contain outrage by expressing regret and rejection of the act while defending freedom of speech.
Swedish police have launched an investigation into the protest, according to Swedish news outlets. On Wednesday a protester of Iraqi descent, Salwan Momika, burned a copy of the holy book outside of a mosque in the Swedish capital Stockholm. The incident, which took place during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, drew strong reactions from the Muslim world. Protesters stormed the Swedish Embassy in Iraq as Jordan and Morocco recalled their ambassadors to Stockholm.
Momika is being investigated by the Swedish police for two hate crimes and a general fire ban. Iraq has asked for his extradition.
Swedish authorities rejected a series of requests to hold similar protests after another Quran-burning demonstration near the Turkish Embassy in the Swedish capital in January, but a court in Stockholm overruled the police, allowing this week's protest in line with Swedish laws on freedom of assembly. The protests have angered NATO member Turkey, which is dragging its feet on ratifying the Nordic nation’s bid to join the transatlantic alliance.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the court ruling after Wednesday’s protest.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson declined to speculate on the incident’s possible impact on negotiations between his country and Turkey, adding that the protest was “legal, but not appropriate.”
Echoing a similar tone, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Thursday that he wouldn’t comment on whether the protest would impact the NATO talks. "I will say that we do condemn it; we’re deeply concerned by the act,” Miller told reporters. “We also believe that issuing the permit for this demonstration supports freedom of expression and is not an endorsement of the demonstration’s actions,” he added.
Washington has been pressing Ankara to ratify Sweden’s membership before the alliance’s annual summit on July 11-12 in Lithuania. Turkish, Swedish and NATO officials are scheduled to hold a new round of meeting next Thursday as part of ongoing talks aiming to convince Turkey to drop its objections.
