Al-Azhar has called for the worldwide boycotting of Swedish products in response to a recent incident of Quran desecration in Sweden.
The call was directed to all fatwa houses and Islamic juristic bodies globally to issue a ruling (fatwa) on the obligatory boycott and cessation of business with any type of Swedish goods in a show of support for the holy Quran.
The action was an unacceptable violation and provocation toward the Muslim community under the banner of false freedom of speech and expression.
In a statement, Al-Azhar urged the governments of Islamic and Arab countries to adopt serious and unified stances against such transgressions which are utterly intolerable under any circumstances.
The Swedish authorities allegedly permitted extremists to burn and tear the Quran during a Muslim holiday, which Al-Azhar argues is a clear incitement to hostility, violence, and sectarian strife, inappropriate for any civilized or responsible nation.
In the same vein, the Muslim World League severely condemned the act of burning a copy of the holy Quran in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.
It also affirmed that such an act, which occurred during Eid al-Adha, is seen as ignominious and provocative to Muslim sentiments.
