Lebanese Forces supporters gather in Meerab in support of Samir Geagea. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/File photo)
BEIRUT — The Lebanese Forces (LF) — one of Lebanon's main Christian parties— on Friday condemned the desecration of a Quran in Sweden.
In June, an Iraqi asylum seeker torched a Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. The incident took place during a gathering authorized by Swedish police on the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. On Wednesday, the same asylum seeker trampled on a copy of Islam's holy book.
The act sparked an outcry in various countries, including Lebanon, where hundreds of Hezbollah supporters demonstrated across the country on Friday in response to a call to action from Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.
On Friday, the Lebanese Forces called on the Swedish government to "prohibit all its citizens and residents from burning any sacred text whatsoever, or undermining the values and sacredness of others."
In a statement published on the party website, the LF expressed their hope that "the Swedish government will consider the fact that freedom is not absolute but also a responsibility, and that freedom cannot be granted to some people at the expense of others and their values."
The burning of a Quran "is a direct attack on the feelings of hundreds of millions of people," the LF statement continued. "Tolerance of the burning of sacred books has nothing to do with freedom of opinion or any other freedom — in fact, it is the exact opposite."
The party concluded by calling the incident "an incitement to violence and hatred."