Hostility towards the Muslim holy book, the Quran, is a sign of ignorance, Turkey's president said Wednesday.
Speaking at the final program of Turkish broadcaster TRT's Quran Recitation Competition in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said that "some European countries are trying to gain political profits by being hostile to Islam and Muslims."
There are also people who are being hostile to the Quran by burning it, said Erdoğan, adding "the vandalism displayed by these hostile people is a sign of their ignorance."
"It is impossible for anyone who reads the Quran once to harbor enmity towards this blessed book," he said.
"Of course, we will not tolerate any hostility against the holy book, but we will never forget that the main thing is to read, understand and live by the Quran."
On April 14, Rasmus Paludan, the leader of the far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) group, burned a copy of the Muslim holy book in Sweden's southern city of Linkoping. He also threatened to burn copies of the Quran during further rallies.
"In the holy month of Ramadan, we once again condemn in the strongest possible terms the attacks and provocations against Islam, Muslims, the Quran and places of worship in different parts of the world," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement last week.
"The vile attacks on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden have shown that the lessons of the past have not been learned, that there is still hesitancy to prevent Islamophobic and racist provocative acts, and that hate crimes are openly and overtly tolerated under the guise of freedom of expression," it added.
It underlined that Turkey will keep fighting against the threat posed by the Islamophobic and racist mentality.
Ankara calls on all countries and international organizations to take the necessary measures against Islamophobia and racism, it added.
