Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized Sweden on Thursday for burning a copy of the Quran in Stockholm, stating that Turkey will never succumb to provocation or threats. Speaking before party members during the Eid al-Adha holiday, he said, "We will teach the arrogant West that freedom of expression does not mean insulting the sacred values of Muslims," indicating that Turkey will respond as strongly as possible to what he described as a "disgraceful protest."
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan condemned the protest, stating that it is unacceptable to allow demonstrations against the religion of Islam under the guise of freedom of opinion and expression. The Swedish police permitted an anti-Quran protest but accused the perpetrator of provoking hostility against an ethnic or national group after the Quran was burned. A series of anti-Islam protests in Sweden, along with calls for Kurdish rights, have escalated tensions with Turkey, which needs Sweden's support to join NATO.
