Turkey condemns Denmark burning of Quran, its flag

ALBAWABA - An extremist group burned the Turkish flag and a copy of the holy Muslim book, the Quran, in the Danish capital amid strong condemnation by Ankara and a handful of Arab countries.

Supporters of an extremist group called “Patrioterne Gar Live” burned the Turkish flag and the holy Quran in front of Turkish Embassy in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, on Friday.

The attack was broadcast live on the group's Facebook account.

During the attack, the extremists raised anti-Islamic banners and chanted slogans insulting the religion.

It was not immediately clear why the Turkish flag was set ablaze. 

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, which it described as "despicable, barbaric and heinous", which targeted the holy Quran and the Turkish flag in Denmark.

The ministry said that Denmark is an "accomplice in the crime of hate" for "allowing attacks on sanctities that are common values of humanity, under the pretext of freedom of expression."

The Turkish government called on Denmark to immediately retract the mistake, stressing that it is necessary to hold the "creatures" that committed the hate crime accountable.

For his part, Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop condemned, in a tweet, written in Turkish and Albawaba translated it to English, the attack on the holy Quran and the Turkish flag in Denmark.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the vile attack against our holy book, the holy Quran, and our glorious flag, in front of our Embassy in Denmark, and the permissibility of these unacceptable acts," Sentop tweeted.

He maintained: "We call on international judicial institutions, especially the Danish authorities, to initiate legal proceedings against those who openly wage war by attacking the most fundamental values of Islam and Muslims."

Several Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Qatar and Morocco condemned what the extremist group had done. It is not the first time that the holy Quran has been burned in Denmark.