Hilal al-Siyabi, an Omani diplomat and former ambassador, expressed his views on the Quran-burning incident in Sweden while speaking to Sputnik Arabic. He stressed that Sweden's decision to allow the Quran to be burnt shows a lack of respect for the beliefs of Muslims around the world, especially when it is done on the auspicious first day of Eid al-Adha.
The Omani diplomat said he found it difficult to understand what Western politicians, diplomats, and officials were thinking, adding that Sweden - having once been seen as a neutral country and generally viewed positively in the Arab world - is now facing an inevitable shift in international relations because of the alarming rise of Islamophobia.
“Burning the Quran is a despicable act of disrespect towards all Muslims. Muslim countries, especially Arab nations, perceive this as a grave insult at the international level," Hilal al-Siyabi said.
Al-Siyabi added that he was surprised at how little reaction there had been from Muslims living in Sweden since they are the nearest victims of such actions. Although he does not condone violence, he said that the actions of the Swedish authorities may ultimately have unpredictable consequences, not only affecting relations with Muslim countries, but also jeopardizing stability within Sweden.
Al-Siyabi pointed out that Sweden's desire to join NATO is likely to be hampered by its allowing the Quran to be burnt since joining the bloc relies on the unanimous support from all members and Turkiye is most likely to withhold its approval of Sweden's NATO membership.
"Moreover, at the same time that the Quran is being burned, Sweden expects to join NATO. Can we ever imagine that Turkiye would agree to this? Europe has gone completely mad and is losing its mind. I am afraid that there are no positive prospects for the development of such a society," the Omani diplomat stressed.
The recent incident of Quran burning in Stockholm, the latest in a series of insults to Muslim believers, received widespread outrage from various nations and organizations. Algeria, Afghanistan, Egypt, Indonesia, Lebanon, Russia, Syria, Turkiye and Uzbekistan were joined by Ahmed Aboul Gheit - Secretary-General of the Arab League - and Jassim Mohamed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary-General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, in expressing their condemnation. In addition, the foreign ministries of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates summoned Sweden's ambassadors to deliver formal protest notes.