KUALA LUMPUR – At least 300 people marched to the Swedish embassy here after Friday prayers at a mosque some 1km away as part of a protest against a Quran-burning incident in Stockholm last week.
Partly organised by Perikatan Nasional, the crowd can be heard chanting “long live Islam, long live the Quran, destruction to the West” while they make their way to the embassy.
The demonstration started immediately after Friday prayers at As-Syakirin Mosque in KLCC, with the crowd mostly led by Bersatu deputy president Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
Local rapper Ariz Ramli, better known by his stage name Caprice, was also spotted in the crowd and accompanied by PAS volunteer corps Unit Amal members clad in their maroon uniform.
Caprice was among one of four representatives from PN who entered the embassy here under heavy police guard to submit a memorandum objecting to the defacement of the Quran.
Last week, Swedish-Danish extremist politician and Stram Kurs party leader Rasmus Paludan courted controversy after he burnt a copy of the holy book in Stockholm, Sweden, triggering a global outcry.
Faizal, on the other hand, said those who have taken to the streets today to express their dissatisfaction towards the incident have no ill feelings towards Swedes.
“We have no quarrel with the people of Sweden, but we do have a problem with actions that hurt the feelings of Muslims all over the world.”
Similarly, PAS Youth chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari likened the defacement of the Quran to acts of harming the bodies of Muslims.
“Burning the Quran is akin to burning our bodies," the Pasir Mas MP said, urging youth to protect the holy book in the same way they would shield their own anatomy.
It was reported yesterday that the Foreign Ministry held a meeting with the Swedish envoy to reaffirm its condemnation of the Quran-burning incident.
Bersatu Youth information chief Mohd Ashraf Mustaqim Badrul Munir, however, insisted that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should be making moves to meet with the ad interim chargé d’affaires himself.
“If this issue reaches the point that we need to get rid of the Swedish ambassador here, we should just do it.
“The burning of the Quran is not a political matter. By right, other parties should also be here, not just those from PN.”
Representatives from UmnoSiswa, the Barisan Nasional linchpin’s student wing, had shown up at the embassy here just as PN protesters were dispersing.
The group of about 15 students, including wing president Wan Muhammad Zuhir Ghazali, recited a few poems before burning a photo of Paludan.
Meanwhile, Pejuang information chief Muhammad Rafique Rashid told reporters that the party had also handed over a memorandum to the embassy. – The Vibes, January 27, 2023
Additional reporting by Adam Ayzzat
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