This act of sacrilege has not only enraged numerous counter-protesters but has also ignited concerns about the potential for heightened tensions.
AMSTERDAM: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 19th, 2023) In a deeply disturbing incident sparking widespread outrage, a Dutch far-right activist defiled the Holy Quran during a protest outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague on Friday.
This act of sacrilege has not only enraged numerous counter-protesters but has also ignited concerns about the potential for heightened tensions.
Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Dutch branch of the far-right group Pegida, conducted this provocative act, causing damage to a copy of the Holy Quran. Accompanied by two others, his actions have been widely condemned.
Despite the Dutch government's prior disapproval of the demonstration, it asserted its lack of legal authority to prevent the event from taking place.
The Turkish embassy area was cordoned off by the police during the event. Roughly fifty counter-protesters also gathered, expressing their opposition to the demonstration.
It is worth noting that Geert Wilders, head of the far-right PVV party, expressed his support for the Pegida demonstration through an online message, introducing a political dimension to the incident and drawing attention to the contentious issue of far-right extremism in the Netherlands.
This occurrence is not an isolated event within Europe. Similar acts against the Quran have transpired in other European nations recently. For instance, in late July, two individuals set fire to a copy of the Quran in front of the Swedish parliament, and Denmark has also witnessed similar incidents earlier this year.
Such demonstrations have sparked not only anger but have also led to disturbances in various Muslim countries. Responding to the global backlash and volatile reactions in the Muslim world towards Quran desecrations, Sweden's intelligence agency recently raised its terror alert level to four on a five-point scale. This underscores the growing concern regarding the potential security repercussions of such actions.
As international condemnation continues, the Dutch government confronts mounting pressure to address the surge of far-right extremism and devise strategies to avert future incidents.
The episode in The Hague underscores the intricate challenge of maintaining a balance between free speech and the obligation to preserve social cohesion and prevent the escalation of religious and ethnic tensions.
