Turkey accused Denmark of endorsing a hate crime

RELIGIONS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – Following the burning of holy Quran by an anti—Islam activist in Denmark on last Friday, Turkey summoned the Danish ambassador.

Turkey, as AP reported, accused Denmark of endorsing a “hate crime”. Turkish officials “strongly condemned the permission given for this provocative act which clearly constitutes a hate crime.”

The ambassador was told that “Denmark’s attitude is unacceptable” and that Turkey expected that the permission be revoked.

Turkey’s Foreign Ministry later issued a statement calling Paludan an “Islam-hating charlatan” and deploring the fact that he was allowed to stage the demonstration.

“Showing tolerance toward such heinous acts that offend the sensitivities of millions of people living in Europe threatens the practice of peaceful coexistence and provokes racist, xenophobic and anti-Muslim attacks,” the ministry said.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told Danish media that the incident would not change Denmark’s “good relationship” with Turkey, adding that Copenhagen intended to talk to Ankara about Denmark’s laws upholding freedoms.

“Our task now is to talk to Turkey about how the conditions are in Denmark with our open democracy, and that there is a difference between Denmark as a country — and our people as such — and then about individual people who have strongly divergent views,” Løkke Rasmussen said.

After Paludan’s action in Sweden last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned Stockholm not to expect support for its NATO bid.

Meanwhile, the United States issued a security warning, cautioning U.S. citizens in Turkey about possible retaliatory attacks against places of worship or places frequented by Westerners following the Quran-burning incidents.