Muslim countries such as Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia have strongly condemned the latest protest with a Quran burning in Sweden.
"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia strongly condemns the burning of a Quran by an extremist in front of a central mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. These repeated acts of hatred cannot be accepted regardless of their pretext. They directly contradict international efforts to spread the principles of tolerance, peaceful coexistence and countering extremism. They undermine the mutual respect necessary to build relationships between nations and peoples," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Iran called the Swedish authorities' permission for the action provocative, thoughtless and unacceptable.
"Insulting the holy books is an example of violence & spreading hatred, and is contrary to the original values of human rights... The government and people of the Islamic Republic of #Iran, like other Muslims and free thinkers of the world, do not tolerate such an insult and strongly condemn it," the Iranian Foreign Ministry wrote on social media.
Iraqi government spokesman Basem Al-Awadi said that the Quran burning in Sweden contradicts the principle of freedom of expression declared by the West and such actions could potentially drag the world back into the morass of terrorism and fanaticism that continues to plague the world.
"The Iraqi government vehemently condemns these individuals who have repeatedly and publicly desecrated copies of the Holy Quran in a manner filled with hate, defying all virtuous and humanitarian values that advocate respect for religions and holy scriptures," Al-Awadi was quoted as saying by Iraqi news Agency Shafaq news.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry called the burning of a Quran in Sweden on the day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha a shameful act.
"Egypt expresses concern over the recurrence of Quran burnings and the recent increase in Islamophobia and blasphemy-related crimes in some European states, stressing its total rejection of these heinous acts, which affect the religious beliefs of Muslims," the ministry said.
On June 28, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a protest in which a Quran was burned took place outside Stockholm's main mosque.
The demonstration was approved by the Swedish authorities. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the police decision was "legal but inappropriate."
It is not the first protest in Sweden involving a Quran burning, and such demonstrations have escalated tensions between the European country and Turkey, whose backing Stockholm needs to become a member of NATO.