Cairo, Jul. 24, (dpa/GNA) – Thousands of Yemeni demonstrators gathered on Monday in the capital Sana’a to protest against the desecration of the Koran in European countries.
The Houthi rebels, who control Sana’a and other cities, organized the protest “against the crime of bur
The Houthi-affiliated al-Masirah television aired a live stream showing thousands of people marching through the streets of Sana’a.
The protest called on “Islamic countries to hold an emergency summit” and agree on collective measures against governments that insult the Koran.
The governments of Sweden and Denmark must apologize to all Muslims and stop allowing such protests, according to a statement.
Protesters have reportedly burnt copies of the Koran in Denmark and Sweden in recent week, which led to angry protests in several Islamic countries.
Iraq expelled the Swedish ambassador and withdrew its envoy from Stockholm over the desecration of the Koran.
On Monday, the Iraqi foreign minister’s spokesman Ahmed al-Sahaf said that diplomatic staff at the Danish mission in Baghdad left the country two days ago.
In a statement, the ministry condemned the “repeated burning” of the Koran near the Iraqi embassy in Copenhagen, saying that such “systematic” actions lead to the spread of extremism and hatred.
It also called on authorities in EU countries to “quickly reconsider” what is considered freedom of speech and the right to protest, and to adopt a “clear, collective position to prevent these offences in front of Iraqi embassies.”
GNA