‘Never Intended to Burn’: Sweden Man, Who Got Permission to Burn Torah, Bible, Abandons Plan – News18

A man who had sought permission to burn the Torah and the Bible outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm abandoned the plan on Saturday and held a demonstration against desecrating holy books.

The Sweden police had confirmed on Friday that they had given a permission to a man who wanted to burn the Torah and the Bible outside the diplomatic mission in protest to burning of the Holy Quran.

However, Ahmad Alloush, 32, abandoned the plan and held a demonstration against desecrating holy books, Al Jazeera reported.

Alloush pulled a lighter from his bag and threw it to the ground saying he never intended to burn any holy books. He also brought out a copy of Quran and criticised the earlier incidents where copies of the Islamic holy book were burned in Sweden.

Sweden recently faced strong criticism from Muslim countries for allowing protesters to burn the Quran at small anti-Islam demonstrations.

“If you want to criticise Islam, that is OK. But burning the Quran is “not freedom of expression,” he reportedly said.

“This is a response to those who burned the Quran – freedom of speech has its limits”, he added.

Israeli officials had urged the Swedish government to stop the protest, which was scheduled to take place on Saturday outside the diplomatic mission.

“As the President of the State of Israel, I condemned the burning of the Quran, sacred to Muslims world over, and I am now heartbroken that the same fate awaits a Jewish Bible, the eternal book of the Jewish people,” Isaac Herzog said in a statement.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that he was urging Swedish officials to “prevent this despicable event and not to allow the burning of a Torah scroll.”

When asked about the plan to burn Torah and the Bible in Stockholm, Ahmad Alloush said, “I made people angry.”

“They can be happy now”, he added.

Alloush is reportedly from Syria, but has been living in Sweden for eight years.

Last month, an Iraqi Christian immigrant burned a Quran outside a Stockholm mosque during the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, triggering widespread condemnation.

The right to hold public demonstrations is strong in Sweden and protected by the constitution. Blasphemy laws were abandoned in the 1970s. Police give permissions based on whether they believe a public gathering can be held without major disruptions or risks to public safety.