In an interview with Al-Ittihad, a newspaper in the United Arab Emirates, Pope Francis condemned the recent burning of the Qur’an in Sweden by Salwan Momika, an Iraqi immigrant.
Momika said he burned the Qur’an to highlight the importance of freedom of speech. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson described the Qur’an burning as “legal but not appropriate,” and police protected Momika as he burned it. Nonetheless, the police subsequently arrested Momika on charges of “agitation against an ethnic group.”
“I feel indignant and disgusted by these actions,” Pope Francis said. “Any book considered sacred by its people must be respected out of respect for its believers, and freedom of expression must never be used as an excuse to despise others, and to allow this, must be rejected and condemned.”
While the Vatican and Western media outlets highlighted the Pope’s comments on the Qur’an burning, Al-Ittihad, in its own coverage of the interview, emphasized the Pope’s strong praise of the United Arab Emirates and its president, Mohamed bin Zayed.
Islam is the official religion of the Middle Eastern nation of 9.9 million (map); 78% of its residents are Muslim, 11% are Christian, and 6% are Hindu. Pope Francis made an apostolic journey there in 2019, during which he and the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar (Egypt) signed the Document on Human Fraternity.