Egypt on Wednesday harshly condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, in a brazen act designed to provoke Muslims around the world on the first day of Eid al-Adha.
Egypt described the act as violating respect for others and fueling hate speech.
In a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Egypt expressed deep concern about the repeated incidents of Quran burning, amidst a recent escalation of Islamophobia and contempt of religions in some European countries.
The statement affirmed its total rejection of all reprehensible practices that affect the religious beliefs of Muslims.
Egypt also stressed the responsibility of governments to prevent calls for incitement and hate crimes, and to stop practices that would undermine the stability of societies.
It further called for the need to uphold common denominators of tolerance, acceptance of others, and peaceful coexistence among peoples.
