Sweden Stops New Quran-Burning After Warnings From Security Police

In addition to the security dimension, this decision has palpable political undertones as Turkiye made it clear that Sweden's NATO bid won't be allowed to advance as long as Stockholm permits the Quran to be defaced.

A new application for permission to burn a copy of the Quran near the Turkish embassy, filed by Danish-Swedish Hard Line party leader Rasmus Paludan, has been refused by the Swedish police, who have made the decision after a "dialogue with the Security Police."

"In recent times, public gatherings to burn the Quran have provoked very strong reactions, resulting in a changed threat assessment against Sweden," the police said in an explanatory statement, citing "serious disruption of national security."

The Security Police saw an increase in the scope of threats against Sweden and described the recent developments as "serious" amid an extensive Muslim backlash following Quran-burnings earlier this year, with Swedish flags torched in several places in response.

"After the recent events, the Security Police can see in the intelligence data that the threats of attacks have increased," they said a press release. "The development means that Sweden is judged to be in greater focus for violent Islamism globally than before."

After the recent Quran burnings, the US notably issued a terror warning to its citizens in Sweden. Rasmus Paludan, in turn, pledged to burn copies of the Quran "every Friday" until Sweden gets admitted to NATO, which he framed as a "lesson in free speech" for Turkish leader Recep Erdogan.

Earlier this month, a similar application for a demonstration by Stop the Islamization of Norway, during a copy of the Quran was slated for burning, was ultimately rejected by the police over security concerns, as Oslo police admitted that security cannot be ensured "in a satisfactory manner."

Much at Stake

In Sweden's case however, not only is the nation's security on the line, but the country's NATO bid, which Turkiye ultimately has the key as it remains the only NATO state to openly oppose it. While Sweden previously admitted insurmountable difficulties in negotiations, stressing that at least some of Ankara's demands couldn't be met, the recent events exacerbated the diplomatic crisis, raising it to another level. Following the recent string of provocations that featured Turkish president Recep Erdogan hung in effigy in Stockholm, a cartoon contest to mock the Turkish leader, and copies of the Quran being burned, Ankara struck back, stating that Sweden's bid (as opposed to neighboring Finland's) "cannot be met under current conditions."

The Swedish minority government led by the liberal-conservative Moderates has been walking the diplomatic tightrope of trying to keep Ankara satisfied without making too may concessions or losing face. This has proven to be an arduous task, as it found itself in a quandary between its commitment to freedom of speech and its image as a champion of human rights as well as its quest to meet its security goals.

In doing so, it has sparked criticism from both the left-wing opposition, who felt that the government has compromised Sweden's humanitarian stance by granting Turkiye's deportation requests, and its national-conservative allies the Sweden Democrats, whose leader Jimmie Akesson accused it of "groveling for dictatorial Islamism" and failing to stand up for free speech. Furthermore, Richard Jomshof, one of the party's top representatives, dismissed Turkiye's outrage and called on Sweden to "burn a hundred more Qurans."

However, following the decision to reject Rasmus Paludan's Quran-burning stunt, Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said he was confident that the Turkish parliament would ultimately ratify both Nordic nations' bids.

Finland and Sweden filed a joint NATO bid in May 2022, yet amid Stockholm's troubles in Ankara there has been a growing sentiment in Finland in favor of proceeding alone, as Turkiye said it had no qualms against Helsinki.