Turkey strongly condemns attack on Quran at Iraq's embassy in Stockholm

Turkey strongly condemned the "despicable attack" on the Quran in front of Iraq's embassy in Stockholm, and called on Sweden to take "decisive measures to prevent this hate crime" against Islam, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"We strongly condemn the despicable attack targeting our sacred book, the Quran in front of Iraq's Stockholm Embassy," a statement from the foreign ministry said.

Anti-Islam protesters, one of whom is an Iraqi immigrant to Sweden who burned the Quran outside a Stockholm mosque in June, had applied for and received permission from Swedish police to burn the Quran outside the Iraqi embassy on Thursday.

In the event, the protesters kicked and partially destroyed a book they said was the Quran but left the area after one hour without setting it alight. The Quran, the central religious text of Islam, is believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God.