Answer to Question
Scandinavian Countries and the Burning of the Noble Qur’an
Erdogan's Gulf tour
(Translate)

First:

Al-Jazeera published on its website on 31/7/2023: (Two people burned a copy of the Noble Qur’an in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm after the police granted them permission to organize the event. Meanwhile the Organization of Islamic Cooperation denounced, during an emergency meeting via videoconference, the continuation of these abuses in Sweden and Denmark. Silwan Momika and Silwan Najm stepped on the Qur’an and then burned it, similar to what they did in a demonstration in front of Stockholm’s main mosque in late June 2023). Are these individual acts from their hatred against Islam and Muslims, or are there political secrets behind these heinous acts?

Answer:

The kaffir countries, their politicians, and their intelligence agencies accumulate heavy grudges and spew their poison on every side against the Muslims. But to study these hatreds, their development, and their distinction from one region to another in the Kaffir countries requires many details, that one must be aware of, as well as to have awareness of the political and intelligence machinations that are plotted against Muslims, and these details are as follows:

1- The history of the Scandinavian countries and the formation of the political mentality in them was governed by two things: the first is that they are purely European countries, as they are countries in the far north of Europe, and they used to colonize the surrounding countries only during the "Vikings" period that extended from the eighth to the eleventh century CE. This was the golden period of the Scandinavian people before the emergence of the great powers in Europe. When Britain emerged as a superpower in northwest Europe, Russia in the east of the continent, and Germany in the middle of it, these countries became like small fish in front of whales, so British influence increased in neighboring Norway, and Russia's influence increased in neighboring Finland, while Germany's influence increased in neighboring Denmark. As for Sweden, which is hidden among the Scandinavian countries, it managed to maintain some independence and build a significant army. So, it was the least of the Scandinavian countries dependent on the great powers, but because Britain is the most powerful of the major countries in the period before the Second World War, it was natural for it to have the greatest influence in all of the Scandinavian countries. Russia and Germany were excluded from the effective influence there.

2- As a result of the geographical location of the Scandinavian countries far from the Islamic world, they were not among the European countries that colonized the Islamic world and came into contact with Muslims after the destruction of the Ottoman Empire, with small exceptions for Denmark. Thus, these countries have largely distanced themselves from the state of hostility between Muslims and the European countries, the latter being the colonizers in Muslim countries. This explains that the recent migrations of Muslims, such as Iraqis, Syrians, and Somalis, were noticeable in their abundance to these tame countries, and these countries, especially Sweden, received Muslim immigrants with remarkable hospitality, which made them the preferred destination for the migration of Muslims fleeing their countries. But this did not last for long, especially after the pure and pristine lifestyle of Muslims began to affect Sweden and these Scandinavian countries, and even Europe in general. Many have announced conversion to Islam, and the mosques multiplied, Halal food stores appeared, and the wave increased until the scene of "veiled European girls" appeared. Instead of increasing their respect for Muslims, their hatred against Muslims was stirred and expanded! Abhorrent behavior of the so-called Swedish Social Services Authority, "Social", which was famous for withdrawing Muslim children from their families under the pretext of protecting the child, appeared! Then hotbeds of extremist organizations began to form in these countries against Muslims, they burned the Holy Qur’an and burned the flags of some countries such as Turkey, Iraq and Egypt! Before that, there were anti-Muslim campaigns, the most prominent of which were cartoons directing insult after insult to Islamic symbols, such as what a Danish newspaper did in 2005 of insulting cartoons to Muslims and insulting the Messenger (saw) and the notorious French newspaper “Charlie Hebdo” republished it in 2006, as well as directing provocation after provocation against Muslims. In addition, extreme right-wing currents have emerged spreading what is called "Islamophobia", meaning anti-Islam.

3- As for this latest wave of hostility to Islam, which was represented by the burning of copies of the noble Qur’an in Sweden and Denmark, two things were observed in it. The first: The first burning of the noble Qur’an in Sweden was carried out by the Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish extremist right-wing Hard Line party (Euronews Arabic, 22/1/2023), and that was in front of the Turkish embassy under the hearing and sight of the Swedish authority! The second: that the most provocative operations were carried out by an extremist Christian of Iraqi origin, during which he carried out extremely provocative acts of tearing the pages of the purified Qur’an, kicking it and putting pork fat on it before burning it in front of a mosque coinciding with the worshipers’ exit from the blessed Eid al-Adha prayer 2023.Then the burning operations continued after that in the form of a campaign in Sweden and Denmark with false names of freedom of expression! As if in these two points an indication that non-Swedes are the ones who carry out these actions, not Sweden, and that a loophole in the Swedish constitution is being exploited for this, so the state emerges as if it condemns these actions, but declares that it cannot prevent them under the pretext of freedom of opinion stipulated in the constitution.

4- It should be noted that these actions were directed specifically at Turkey, as the first operation was in front of its embassy, then its flag was burned next to the burning of the noble Qur’an, and perhaps America’s reaction indicates what is meant by these actions: (A spokesperson for the US State Department said in response to a question that came during the ministry's daily summary: "Let me say two things...and this is not something you haven't heard us say before...we have consistently said that burning religious texts is disrespectful and harmful, and what might be legal is certainly not necessarily appropriate...and so I will let the government of Sweden and its local law enforcement authorities to talk more or less specifically about this particular incident.” “But broadly speaking, we continue to encourage Hungary and Turkey to ratify Sweden’s accession protocol without delay so that we can welcome Sweden to the alliance as soon as possible,” he said in his response. “We believe that Sweden has fulfilled its obligations under the tripartite memorandum agreement that was agreed upon with Finland and Turkey on the sidelines of the Madrid summit last year..." CNN Arabic, 29/6/2023).

5- By scrutiny, we find that this wave of sinful operations to burn the noble Qur’an is primarily a matter of criminal hatred against Islam and Muslims. It also aims to disrupt the process of Sweden's entry into NATO by provoking Turkey, perhaps whoever planned these actions knows that Turkey will eventually be led behind the American desires to include Sweden into NATO and make that another strategic loss for Russia because of its war on Ukraine, and in implementation of these desires the Turkish President Erdogan agreed to refer the issue of Sweden joining NATO to the Turkish Parliament, that is, his approval of its annexation, during the NATO summit in Lithuania 11/7/2023.

It is not excluded that the Jewish entity had a hand in what happened from two aspects: the first is that the Iraqi refugee residing in Sweden who burned the noble Qur’an is a Mossad agent [the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced this evening, Monday, that it had obtained reliable information confirming that Salwan Momica, who burned the Qur’an in Sweden has a relationship with the Israeli Mossad. The Iranian ministry added, in its statement published on the official IRNA agency, that Momika was hired by the Mossad in 2019 and that he obtained residency in Sweden in exchange for his betrayal of the Iraqi people and the Islamic Ummah (Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, 10/7/2023)]. As for the other person who participated in the new burning, he is his friend and related to him. The second aspect appeasing Russia by muddling Sweden's accession to NATO, especially in light of the tension between Netanyahu and Biden, who still refuses to receive him.

6- Finally, what is painful is that the sanctities of Muslims are being violated in the arena of international conflicts!! And the rulers of the Muslims and their organizations are slumbering, the best example among them is one who issue empty condemnation!! Is there a sane person who does not realize that violating sanctities necessitates a fierce war that makes the enemy forget the whispers of Satan?! It is truly painful that weak nations such as those of the Scandinavian countries are not concerned to the feelings of the Islamic Ummah under a refutational pretext in their constitutions and laws, and then burn the most sacred sanctities of Muslims. We realize that this situation will remain like this until Muslims have a caliph who rules by what Allah has revealed and carries out jihad for Allah’s sake and spread justice through Allah’s Shariah. Then no one from these weak countries, nor even the so-called big countries, will dare to harm the sanctities of Muslims. Punishing him will not be sufficient, but in addition the state or countries that protect and shelter him will be punished.

[وَسَيَعْلَمُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَيَّ مُنْقَلَبٍ يَنْقَلِبُونَ]

“And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned” [Ash-Shu’ara: 227].

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Second:

(Emirates Today) published on its website on July 25, 2023: (Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the tour he made, last week, to 3 Gulf countries as "very successful and fruitful." In a televised speech, Monday evening, Erdogan indicated that the tour he made with a large delegation from the business world to the Gulf constituted a "very important step" in the field of foreign policy).

The Turkish president had visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on July 17-19, 2023, accompanied by more than 200 businessmen and important personalities. What is the purpose of this visit, even though the Gulf countries differ from Turkey in terms of international political relations? Or is the visit for economic reasons, especially with the inflation observed in the current Turkish economic situation? Accept my thanks and appreciation to you.

Answer:

In order to clarify the answer to these questions, we review the following:

1- This visit, in which he was accompanied by more than 200 businessmen and important personalities, comes at a time when Turkey was suffering from an economic crisis, inflation rates were at record levels, and the Turkish lira was constantly losing value. Therefore, economic issues emerged during this visit, and 18 agreements were signed and joint statement in many areas, from investment to industry, from defense to health, and from renewable energy to the space industry during this visit. A $50.7 billion deal was signed between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

2- Turkey is suffering from an economic crisis and prices are constantly rising. According to official figures, inflation in Turkey is hovering around 40 percent, but according to unofficial figures, it has exceeded 100 levels. [Inflation in Turkey declined in June, recording 38.2% on an annual basis, its lowest level in 18 months, according to official data published today, Wednesday. According to the "independent" inflation research group, the inflation rate rose on an annual basis, rising to 108.5%. (Al-Jazeera Mubasher, 05/07/2023)].

3- The Turkish Central Bank injected a large amount of dollars into the market in order to maintain the dollar at certain levels before the May 2023 elections, which led to a significant decline in the foreign currency reserves of the Central Bank of Turkey. The price of the dollar, which was at 19.90 in the May 28 elections, has now surpassed 26. Thus, the depreciation of the lira against the dollar has exceeded 28 percent since the beginning of the year. [The Turkish lira touched a new unprecedented low at 26.10 against the dollar early Tuesday, after an official and bankers said that the central bank had stopped using its reserves to support the currency. The lira later stabilized at a price of 26.05, and thus it has fallen by more than 28 percent since the beginning of the year. (Arabic 21, 27/6/2023)].

4- Therefore, Erdogan placed great hopes in terms of investment and financing in the face of budget constraints, chronic inflation, and the weakness of the Turkish lira. [In the analysis provided in Bloomberg, it was mentioned that Erdogan is trying to improve relations with the oil-rich countries in the Arab world in order to bridge the gap of Western investors who avoid investing in the country due to unconventional economic policies. (https://aposto.com. 21/7/2023)].

5- In order to facilitate relations with the Gulf, Mehmet Şimşek was appointed, and he has good relations with investors in Britain and the Gulf, and who was previously dismissed. He was appointed Minister of Finance after the elections of May 28, 2023, and he completed a master’s degree at the University of Exeter in England with a scholarship from Etibank and worked as an economist, strategist and director in international organizations in London... His appointment as finance minister aims to withdraw money from Europe and reduce British criticism of Turkey. That is why Mehmet Şimşek visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in June. Mehmet Şimşek, who is known in financial circles in England and worked in financial institutions, held high-level meetings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. [Last month, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek and Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan visited the Gulf countries and assessed "opportunities for economic cooperation". It is estimated that these visits by the Department of Economy are aimed at laying the groundwork for the agreements to be concluded in Erdogan's Gulf tour... ( 17/7/2023)]. Therefore, Erdogan's visit took place after paving the economic way for it.

6- Ankara faces multiple debt payments next November. And it must find external resources before October November so that it can pay its foreign debt payments. So, it turned to investors in the Gulf in search of external resources. [JP Morgan said that Turkey's monthly external debt payments for the period from July to October 2023 will range between $2.4 and $3.5 billion. The bank indicated that there are heavy external debt payments to be made between December 2023 and March 2024. (https://www.bloomberght.com, 06/07/2023)].

7- Therefore, the economic reasons outweigh the political reasons behind Erdogan's Gulf tour, and the article published by the Atlantic Council confirms this. [Researchers Serhat Sobucaoglu and Mouza Hassan Al-Marzouki show, in this article published by the Atlantic Council website, that the main reason behind Turkey's renewed interest in strengthening relations with the Gulf countries is to attract capital flows and preserve Erdogan's legacy as a leader who achieved economic growth over the past two decades. (https://www.atlanticcouncil.org 21/07/2023)].

8- This also appears in Erdogan's statements: [President Erdogan also indicated that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and the UAE amounted to 10 billion dollars, pointing out that the UAE is considered one of Turkey's most important commercial and economic partners in the region. Erdogan indicated that his visit to the UAE witnessed the signing of 13 agreements in various fields, and that its total value is $50.7 billion. (Emirates Today, 25/7/2023)].

9- In conclusion, Erdogan's visit to the Gulf region is an economic visit in the first place, and we do not stray from the truth if we say that it is only for an economic purpose, which is to reduce inflation, improve the status of the Turkish lira, and to restore balance of the economic market in Turkey... All of this clearly indicates that the reality of the Muslim countries speaks of the necessity of its unity and that the wealth of these countries, outward and inward, is enough for its people and removes their poverty and raises their status. If they realized this matter, they would be the servants of Allah as brothers, and they would be truly one Ummah, the best nation brought to humankind.

[كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللهِ]

“You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allāh” [Aal-i-Imran: 110]

16 Muharram 1445 AH
3/8/2023 CE