On Wednesday, Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister, condemned a Swedish decision to approve a Quran-burning event outside a Stockholm mosque. “It is unacceptable to allow these anti-Islamic actions under the pretext of freedom of expression. To turn a blind eye to such heinous acts is to be complicit,” Fidan said.
Fahrettin Altun, director of communications for the Turkish government, reinforced that criticism, tweeting, “We are sick and tired of enabling Islamophobia and continued instances of hatred for our religion on the part of European authorities especially in Sweden.”
Although only one person (and his translator) participated in the Quran burning, the event has broader significance. Turkey, a NATO member state, has blocked Sweden’s bid to join the treaty organization, arguing it is too lenient with militant Kurdish organizations and supporters of a failed 2016 Turkish coup attempt.
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Turkey’s parliament ratified Finland’s bid, paving the way for that country to become NATO’s 31st member. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan warned earlier this month that Sweden had still not addressed all his security concerns.