Paludan Burns Quran in Copenhagen as Turkey Summons Danish Envoy

Rasmus Paludan set a copy of the Muslim holy book on fire outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm last week, prompting criticism from Ankara and an array of Gulf nations.

Rasmus Paludan has burned another copy of the Quran, this time in front of a mosque in Copenhagen, on Friday.

It follows his burning of the holy book in Stockholm last Saturday.

The leader of the right-wing Danish Stram Kursin Party's actions were reportedly greenlighted by Copenhagen authorities and watched over by police.

The burning prompted another quick response from predominantly Muslim countries.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has been quick to condemn the Quran "desecration," urging leaders of EU countries to “react to similar actions” rather than “stand aside”.

Earlier in the day, a source in Ankara told Sputnik that the Danish ambassador has been summoned.

“We told the ambassador that we strongly condemn the permission of such a provocation, which is clearly qualified as a hate crime,” the source stressed.

Paludan pledged that he would burn copies of Islam's sacred book in front of the Turkish embassy "every Friday" until Sweden is granted permission to join NATO.

"I will proclaim that this is Erdogan's fault. Now that he doesn't want to let Sweden into NATO, I have to teach him about freedom of speech until he does. As I see it, Erdogan is a liar. When he says it's someone else's fault, he doesn't know how causality works," the anti-Islam activist told Swedish media.

Todays controversy comes after Paludan burned a copy of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm last Saturday after receiving permission from authorities.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry likewise condemned the act, calling it a "vile attack" on the holy book and "another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted by warning that Sweden should not now count on Ankara’s support for Stockholm’s application to join NATO. Shortly after, trilateral talks among Turkey, Sweden and Finland on NATO membership were postponed at Ankara's request.

The Quran burning was similarly condemned by the foreign ministries of several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.