KUWAIT, June 30: Acting at the behest of Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah called in Sweden Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Non-Resident Ambassador to Kuwait Liselott Andersson on Friday. He handed the Swedish diplomat a protest note over the permission of her government for extremists to burn a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm on Wednesday. Sheikh Jarrah expressed Kuwait's strong denunciation of the Swedish authorities for permitting extremists to persist in such repugnant acts, according to a press release from the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry.

The State of Kuwait demanded the Swedish government to shoulder its responsibility for halting immediately the malpractices targeting the Muslims and the Islamic sanctities. It stressed the need of bringing the perpetrators of such acts to book and preventing them from using the freedom of expression as a ploy to offend Muslims and tamper with the sanctities of the holy faith, the statement noted.

Kuwait's Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah spoke to his Swedish peer Tobias Billstrom on Friday to express Kuwait's rejection and condemnation of the burning a copy of Holy Quran by Salwan Momika. Momika was allowed by the Swedish authorities to commit that act in front of a Stockholm mosque on Wednesday as Muslims started celebrating Eid Al-Adha. During the phone conversation, Sheikh Salem affirmed that such practices are totally unacceptable as they run counter to all humanitarian principles and values, incite hate, and encourage violence and terrorism.

The Kuwaiti minister held the Swedish government accountable for granting such permissions, which run counter to all international principles, calling for peaceful co-existence, tolerance and moderation. Sheikh Salem also called on the Swedish government to take an immediate action to prevent these repeated offenses that target Muslims' sanctities and to hold the perpetrators accountable.

In addition, the minister urged Sweden's authorities not to allow persons to make use of freedom as a justification to commit these offensive acts against Islam. Earlier in the day, Acting at the behest of Sheikh Salem, Deputy Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah called in Sweden Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and Non-Resident Ambassador to Kuwait Liselott Andersson. (KUNA)