Sweden has recently authorized several demonstrations in which sacred texts were planned to be burned, causing concern for the Israeli government. The Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, expressed his worries to his Swedish counterpart, Tobias Billstrom, stating that the burning of a Torah book during a planned demonstration outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm could potentially damage the relationship between the two countries on a global scale.
Cohen strongly condemned the proposed burning of the Torah, stating that he was “horrified by the additional threat to burn a Torah book in Sweden.” He called on the Swedish leadership to take immediate action to prevent any further threats to destroy religious texts within their country. Cohen made it clear that he expected the Swedish government to intervene and prevent events like this from occurring, as they had the potential to harm the relations between Israel and Sweden.
However, despite the Israeli objection and concerns, the demonstration did not go ahead as planned. Instead of burning the Torah, the protester set alight a blank sheet of paper, symbolizing that the Swedish system is empty of content. This unexpected turn of events may have lessened the immediate tensions between the two countries, but the issue of burning religious texts still persists.
This incident came after Swedish authorities authorized a request by a 50-year-old woman to burn a religious text to protest perceived violations of children’s rights. It remains unclear why she specifically chose the Torah as the target for her demonstration.
In response to Cohen’s concerns, Tobias Billstrom assured him that the burning of sacred texts goes against the values of the Swedish government. He also promised to investigate possible constitutional changes that would prohibit such acts in the future. Stockholm has previously stated that while they do not approve of these actions, they permit them to protect citizens’ rights to freedom of expression and protest.
This recent demonstration comes on the heels of another incident where a person sought permission to burn a Jewish and Christian Bible outside Israel’s embassy in Stockholm. The demonstration was intended as a symbolic gathering for the sake of free speech. Swedish police emphasized the distinction between authorizing demonstrations and advocating the destruction of sacred texts. They clarified that they do not issue permits to burn religious texts but instead issue permits for public gatherings to express opinions.
It is worth noting that this incident followed the burning of a copy of the Quran outside Stockholm’s largest mosque in June. The activist involved in this demonstration, Ahmad Alush, clarified that his intention was not to destroy Jewish or Christian holy books but rather to protest the burning of the Quran.
In conclusion, the burning of sacred texts in Sweden has raised concerns in the international community, particularly in Israel. The Israeli government has urged the Swedish authorities to take action to prevent further threats to religious texts. While the demonstration involving the burning of a Torah did not proceed, the issue of burning religious texts remains unresolved. The Swedish government has expressed its disapproval of these actions but has allowed them to take place to protect freedom of expression. It remains to be seen whether constitutional changes will be made to prevent such acts in the future.
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