Swedish Activist Cancels Plan To Burn Torah

A 32-year-old Swedish citizen named Ahmed Alloush had planned to set fire to a Torah outside the Israeli embassy in Sweden today. However, he ultimately refrained from doing so. Alloush arrived at the embassy carrying a lighter and a Koran but did not proceed with burning any books. Instead, he threw the lighter to the ground and addressed the gathered onlookers.

“I never thought I would burn any books. I’m a Muslim, we don’t burn books. This is a response to the people who burn the Koran. I want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be taken into account. I want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah, another the Bible, another the Koran, there will be war here. What I wanted to show is that it’s not right to do it.”

Alloush explained that the true purpose of the protest was to raise awareness of the distinction between freedom of speech and offending different ethnic groups.

The demonstration had received prior approval from Swedish authorities, who cited constitutional protections for freedom of expression. However, the decision drew criticism from various Jewish, Christian, and Islamic organizations, as well as prominent figures in Israel’s political and religious circles.

Earlier in the month, there had been an incident where activists burned a Koran, leading to widespread condemnation from the Islamic community.

As a response to these events, Swedish authorities have announced plans to introduce legislation that would make the burning of holy books illegal.

{Matzav.com}