Burning the Qur’an does not constitute a crime and does not endanger public order. This was determined by Swedish justice after the case of anti-Islamic extremist Rasmus Paludan, who set fire to a copy of the holy book for Muslims outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in early January. The initiative sparked strong protests in Turkey, which has been blocking Sweden’s membership in NATO for months. The judges’ decision now risks further complicating Stockholm’s path to the Atlantic Alliance.
The case was settled in Brussels on the day Finland formally joined NATO. Helsinki started negotiations with Sweden last June, but unlike its Scandinavian neighbours, it has faced fewer obstacles in its path. Stockholm’s path is complicated above all by the Kurdish question: Turkey has asked the Swedish government for a greater commitment to the dozens of political Kurdish refugees in the country, whom Ankara deems terrorists, in exchange for its approval of NATO membership.
To overcome the stalemate, Turkey and Sweden signed a memorandum of understanding that required Stockholm to dedicate itself to a greater fight against terrorism, including Kurdish terrorism. However, the memorandum has so far not made any progress in the negotiations. The details of the deal are unknown, and both parties operate in their own mill. Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who has been campaigning sensitively for his reelection in recent months and using the Kurdish issue as a means of reconciliation, has repeatedly accused Sweden of not sticking to the agreements. In particular, Erdogan demanded that about 120 suspected terror suspects, who had long sought refuge in Sweden, be handed over to the Turkish authorities.
Stockholm countered, saying that the extradition of suspected terrorists was not part of the memorandum and that deportations without due process through the judicial system would be illegal. In the past, Swedish justice had dealt with Ankara’s requests for the extradition of Kurdish refugees, but rejected them on the grounds that they risked persecution in Turkey. In response, Sweden agreed to pass a law to increase the fight against terrorism. “On June 1, the new legislation will come into force, which means that we will make our job very difficult and prevent the use of Swedish territory for terrorist activities and of course terrorist financing. We do not see anything after that.” “We have done our part and the Turkish parliament should start the ratification process,” Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said after meeting with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in Brussels.
However, the Kurdish issue is not the only argument Ankara uses to block Sweden’s access to NATO: Protests against the Koran have had a wide resonance in the Turkish public. After the incident in January, Swedish authorities had temporarily banned anti-Islamic demonstrations, but the final decision of the Council of State judges effectively allowed two new sit-ins where Qurans could be burned. “It’s no secret that the Swedish government values freedom of expression, it’s a principle we stand for,” Billstrom said of the case. “Religion is not mentioned in the memorandum we signed with Turkey, there is no mention of such issues. We intend to do what we promised in the memorandum. But neither more nor less,” he interrupted.
That’s why Sweden is resisting pressure from Turkey. The stalemate is likely to continue in the coming months. And much will depend on the outcome of the presidential election and the approval of the anti-terror law in early June. Stockholm hopes to break through the Turkish blockade and join NATO in July.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
