People set on fire a photograph of far right activist Rasmus Paludan during a protest outside the Swedish consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, Sunday, Jan 22, 2023. File Photo: Francisco Seco/AP
The US Department of State believed that a far-right activists burning of the holy Quran was a "deeply disrespectful" and "repugnant" act.
"Burning books that are holy to many is a deeply disrespectful act," US State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
"Its repugnant," he said, also calling the incident "disgusting" and "vile."
Price said the burning was the work of "a provocateur" who "may have deliberately sought to put distance between two close partners of ours - Turkey and Sweden."
He "may have deliberately sought to have an impact on the ongoing discussion regarding the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO," Price said.
A wave of anger and denunciation swept the Arab and Islamic worlds after a member of the far-right party in Sweden burned a copy of the holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The heinous crime was considered a provocation to the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world, and an indication of escalating hatred in some Western countries for Islam and Muslims.
