In an interview with the United Arab Emirate's daily 'Al-Ittihad,' "I feel indignant and disgusted by these actions," Pope Francis expressed to Hamad Al-Kaabi, editor of the UAE's daily Al-Ittihad, regarding the burning of copies of the Quran in Sweden in recent days, Vatican News reported.
“Any book considered sacred by its authors must be respected out of respect for its believers, and freedom of expression must never be used as an excuse to despise others, and to allow this, must be rejected and condemned.”
Earlier on the eve of Eid al-Adha, a 37-year-old Iraqi refugee in Sweden, tore, burned and kicked the holy Quran in front of the main mosque in Stockholm at a protest initially allowed by the authorities.
Al-Itthad is an Arabic language newspaper published daily in the United Arab Emirates. It is part of the Abu Dhabi Media group, a government organization.
