The condemnation comes as a number of incidents involving the desecration of the Quran by far-right figures or groups in Europe have made headlines.

Qatar has strongly condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Denmark, referring to the incident as ‘heinous’ and a ‘serious provocation’ to over 2 billion Muslims across the world ‘particularly during the holy month of Ramadan.’

Patrioterne Gar Live, a far-right anti-Muslim group, desecrated the Turkish flag and the Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen while displaying bigoted placards, which they live-streamed on their Facebook page.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued in a statement on Saturday, warning that accepting repeated violations towards the Holy Quran under the ‘pretext of freedom of expression’ feeds violence, jeopardises the principles of peaceful coexistence, and deepens the issue of double standards.

The ministry underlined Doha’s utmost rejection of all hate speech based on ideology, race, or religion as well as the politicisation of religious and other sanctuaries.

It further issued a warning that the repeated calls for the targeting of Muslims around the world has resulted in a dangerous increase in the campaigns of anti-Islamic bigotry and Islamophobic discourse.

This statement comes as a score of hateful incidents have plagued the European continent.

Turkey has also condemned the “vile attack” on the Quran, saying the incident is a “hate crime,” and that Ankara will never accept such “vile actions being allowed under the guise of freedom of expression.”

The ministry called on the Danish government to take prompt legal action against the offenders as well as specific steps to halt future provocations.

Repeated desecration of the holy book

A number of incidents involving the burning and ripping up of copies of the Quran in Stockholm and Copenhagen occurred in January alone, drawing outrage from the Muslim world and condemnations from governments.

In January, Qatar’s Shura Council Speaker stated that European countries that pride themselves in upholding human rights have ‘violated’ Islam and disrespected billions of muslims, noting that such actions only cement ‘the seed of terrorism’.

Hassan bin Abdulla Al Ghanim took the opportunity to spotlight the momentum in Europe which has seen numerous far-right leaders desecrate the holy Quran in countries like Sweden and The Netherlands.

“Unfortunately many countries are providing the legal bounds for extremists to persevere and violate religious sanctities,” Al Ghanim said, urging on European officials to outline an action plan to tackle such violations.

Qatar has been on the forefront of combatting campaigns against the religion and maintains a staunch position against Islamophobic actions.