Iranian, UAE Foreign Ministers Condemn Quran Desecration in Denmark, Sweden

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held a phone conversation with his UAE counterpart, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which the two diplomats condemned the Quran desecration in Denmark and Sweden, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

"Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian held a phone conversation with Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Saturday night, strongly condemning the sacrilege of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark," the ministry said in a statement.

Both parties also called for an urgent meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and for serious reprisals against the perpetrators, the statement read.

On Friday, members of the Danish Patriots extremist group set fire to a copy of the Quran in front of the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen and desecrated the republic's national flag. The action was broadcast on social media.

On Wednesday, the Swedish police have given Iraqi immigrant Salwan Momika the go-ahead to stage yet another Quran-burning protest. His previous act in June sparked outrage in many Muslim countries.

Hundreds of Iraqi demonstrators stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad ahead of Momika's action, which took place Thursday in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm. In the end, the 37-year-old stepped on his copy of the Quran but did not burn it.

On June 28, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a protest took place outside Stockholm's main mosque, during which a Quran was burned. The Swedish police authorized the demonstration. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the authorization was "lawful but inappropriate." A similar demonstration took place in Sweden in January when Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan burned the Muslim holy book in front of the Turkish embassy.