Answers to Questions
First: Al-Jazeera published on its website on 31/07/2023: "Two people burned a copy of the Noble Quran in front of the Swedish Parliament in Stockholm after the police granted them permission to organize the event, while the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, during an emergency video meeting, condemned the continuation of such abuses in Sweden and Denmark... Salwan Momika and Salwan Najem stomped on the Quran and then burned it, similar to what they did in a demonstration in front of the main Stockholm Mosque in late June 2023." Are these acts spontaneous, stemming from their personal hatred of Islam and Muslims, or are there political secrets behind these heinous acts?
The Answer: The disbelieving states, their politicians, and their intelligence agencies harbor heavy hatred and spread their poison everywhere against Muslims. However, understanding this hatred, its development, and how it varies from one region to another in disbelieving countries requires many details. One must be aware of the political and intelligence plots being woven against Muslims. These details are as follows:
1- The history of the Scandinavian countries and the formation of their political mentality were governed by two things: First, they are purely European countries. Being in the far north of Europe, they only colonized surrounding countries during the "Viking" period, which lasted from the 8th to the 11th century CE. This was the golden age for the Scandinavian peoples before the emergence of the great powers in Europe. When Britain emerged as a superpower in northwestern Europe, Russia in the east, and Germany in the center, these countries became like small fish before whales. British influence increased in neighboring Norway, Russian influence increased in neighboring Finland, and German influence increased in adjacent Denmark. As for Sweden, hidden in the middle of the Scandinavian countries, it managed to maintain some independence and build a significant army, making it the least dependent on major powers. However, because Britain was the strongest of the major powers in the period before World War II, it was natural for it to have the greatest influence throughout the Scandinavian countries, marginalizing Russia and Germany from effective influence there.
2- Due to 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 interacted with Muslims after the destruction of the Ottoman Khilafah, with small exceptions regarding Denmark. Therefore, these countries largely distanced themselves from the state of hostility between Muslims and European countries, as the latter were the colonizers of Muslim lands. This explains why recent migrations of Muslims—such as Iraqis, Syrians, and Somalis—were noticeably high to these seemingly peaceful countries. These countries, especially Sweden, received Muslim immigrants with noticeable warmth, making them the preferred destination for Muslims fleeing their countries. However, this did not last long, especially after the pure Islamic way of life began to influence Sweden and these Scandinavian countries—and indeed Europe in general—as numbers of people declared their Islam, mosques multiplied, halal food stores appeared, and the phenomenon of "European girls in Hijab" increased. Instead of their respect for Muslims increasing, their hatred was stirred and expanded! Despicable behaviors emerged from the Swedish Social Services agency, known as the "Social", which became famous for seizing Muslim children from their families under the pretext of child protection! Then, pockets of extremist organizations began to form in these countries against Muslims, burning the Noble Quran and the flags of some countries like Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt! Before that, there were anti-Muslim campaigns, the most prominent of which were the cartoons that directed insult after insult to Islamic symbols, such as what a Danish newspaper did in 2005 with cartoons insulting Muslims and the Messenger ﷺ, which the notorious French newspaper "Charlie Hebdo" republished in 2006, along with repeated provocations against Muslims. Alongside this, extreme right-wing currents emerged spreading what is called "Islamophobia", meaning against Islam.
3- Regarding this recent wave of hostility toward Islam, represented by the burning of copies of the Noble Quran in Sweden and Denmark, two things were noted: First, the first operation of burning the Noble Quran in Sweden was carried out by the Danish extremist Rasmus Paludan, leader of the far-right Danish party (Hard Line) (Euronews Arabic, 22/01/2023), and that was in front of the Turkish embassy under the eyes and ears of the Swedish authorities! Second, the most provocative operations were carried out by an extremist Christian of Iraqi origin, during which he performed highly provocative acts such as tearing pages of the Noble Quran, kicking it, and putting pig fat on it before burning it in front of a mosque while worshippers were leaving the Eid al-Adha prayer in 2023. This was followed by a campaign of Quran-burning incidents in Sweden and Denmark under the false name of freedom of expression! It is as if these two points indicate that non-Swedes are the ones performing them, not Sweden, and that a loophole in the Swedish constitution is being exploited for this purpose. The state appears to condemn these acts while announcing it cannot prevent them due to the freedom of opinion stipulated in the constitution.
4- It must be noted that these acts were specifically directed at Turkey. The first operation was in front of its embassy, and then its flag was burned alongside the burning of the Noble Quran. Perhaps the reaction of the United States indicates the intent behind these acts: ("A State Department spokesperson said in response to a question during the department's daily briefing: 'Let me say two things... and this is not something you haven't heard us say before... we have consistently said that the burning of religious texts is disrespectful and hurtful, and what may be legal is certainly not necessarily appropriate... and so I will let the government of Sweden and local law enforcement speak specifically or more about this particular incident.' He continued in his response: 'But broadly, we continue to encourage Hungary and Turkey to ratify the accession protocol for Sweden without delay so that we can welcome Sweden into the alliance as soon as possible... we believe Sweden has fulfilled its obligations under the trilateral memorandum agreement that was agreed upon with Finland and Turkey on the sidelines of the Madrid summit last year...'" CNN Arabic, 29/06/2023).
5- Upon close examination, we find that this wave of criminal acts of burning the Noble Quran is primarily out of criminal hatred for Islam and Muslims. It also aims to disrupt Sweden's entry into NATO by provoking Turkey. Perhaps whoever planned these acts knows that Turkey will ultimately follow American desires to include Sweden in NATO, making it another strategic loss for Russia due to its war on Ukraine. In implementation of these desires, Turkish President Erdogan agreed to refer the issue of Sweden's accession to NATO to the Turkish parliament—meaning his approval of its inclusion—during the NATO summit in Lithuania on 11/07/2023. It is not ruled out that the Jewish entity has a hand in what happened from two perspectives: First, the Iraqi refugee residing in Sweden who burned the Quran is a Mossad agent ("The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence announced this Monday evening that it obtained reliable information confirming that Salwan Momika, who burned the Quran in Sweden, has an agency relationship with the Israeli Mossad... The Iranian Ministry added in its statement published on the official IRNA agency that Momika was recruited 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, 10/07/2023). As for the other person who participated with him in the new burning, he is his friend and connected to him. The second perspective is courting Russia by disrupting 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 violated on the stage of international conflicts!! The rulers of Muslims and their organizations are asleep, and the best among them is the one who decorates a condemnation that neither nourishes nor avails against hunger!! Is there any sane person who does not realize that the violation of sanctities and sacred things necessitates a fierce war that makes the enemy forget the whispers of Satan?! It is truly painful that weak nations like the Scandinavian nations pay no heed to the feelings of the Islamic Ummah based on a refuted excuse in their constitutions and laws, and then burn the most sacred of Muslim sanctities. We realize that this situation will remain as such until the Muslims have a Khalifah who rules by what Allah has revealed, performs Jihad in the way of Allah, and establishes the truth by the Sharia of Allah. Then, no creature from these weak states, let alone the so-called major powers, will dare to touch the sanctities of Muslims with harm. Punishment would not be limited to the individual but would extend to the state or states that protect and harbor him.
وَلَا تَحْسَبَنَّ اللَّهَ غَافِلًا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ ۚ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْمٍ تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الْأَبْصَارُ
"And those who have wronged are going to know to what [kind of] return they will be returned." (Surah Ash-Shu'ara [26]: 227)
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Second: (Emarat Al-Youm) published on its website on July 25, 2023: "Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the tour he undertook last week to three Gulf countries as 'highly successful and fruitful.' In a televised speech on Monday evening, Erdogan pointed out that the tour he conducted 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 prominent figures. What is the purpose of this visit, given that Gulf countries differ from Turkey in terms of international political relations? Or is the visit for economic reasons, especially with the observed inflation in Turkey's current economic situation? With thanks and appreciation.
The Answer: To clarify the answer to these questions, we review the following matters:
1- This visit, in which he was accompanied by more than 200 businessmen and important figures, comes at a time when Turkey was suffering from an economic crisis, inflation rates were reaching record levels, and the Turkish Lira was continuously losing its value. Therefore, economic issues were prominent in this visit. Additionally, 18 agreements and joint statements were signed in many fields—from investment to industry, defense to health, and renewable energy to the space industry—during this visit. A deal worth $50.7 billion was signed between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
2- Turkey suffers from an economic crisis and prices are constantly rising. According to official figures, inflation in Turkey hovers around 40 percent, but according to unofficial figures, it has exceeded the 100 level. ("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 annual inflation rate rose to 108.5%..." Al-Jazeera Mubasher, 05/07/2023).
3- The Turkish Central Bank injected a large amount of dollars into the market to maintain the dollar at certain levels before the May 2023 elections, leading to a significant decline in the foreign currency reserves of the Central Bank. The dollar exchange rate, which was at 19.90 during the May 28 elections, has now exceeded 26. Thus, the devaluation of the Lira against the dollar has exceeded 28 percent since the beginning of the year. ("The Turkish Lira touched a new record low at 26.10 against the dollar early Tuesday after an official and bankers said the central bank had stopped using its reserves to support the currency. The Lira later settled at a price of 26.05, having fallen by more than 28 percent since the beginning of the year..." Arabi21, 27/06/2023).
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 an analysis by Bloomberg, it was mentioned that Erdogan is trying to improve relations with oil-rich countries in the Arab world to fill the gap of Western investors who avoid investing in the country due to unconventional economic policies... 21/07/2023 https://aposto.com/).
5- To facilitate relations with the Gulf, Mehmet Simsek—who has good relations with investors in Britain and the Gulf and was previously dismissed—was appointed as Minister of Finance after the May 28, 2023 elections. He completed his master's degree at the University of Exeter in England on a scholarship from Etibank and worked as an economist, strategist, and manager in international organizations in London. His appointment as Finance Minister aims to draw funds from Europe and reduce British criticism of Turkey. For this reason, Mehmet Simsek visited Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in June. Simsek, who is well-known in financial circles in England and has worked in financial institutions, held high-level meetings in these countries. ("Last month, Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, and Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan visited the Gulf countries and assessed 'economic cooperation opportunities.' It is estimated that these visits by the economic management aim to lay the foundation for the agreements to be concluded during Erdogan's Gulf tour..." 17/07/2023 https://www.indyturk.com/). Therefore, Erdogan's visit took place after the economic path had been paved for it.
6- Ankara faces multiple debt payments next November. it must find external resources before November to be able to pay its external debt payments. Therefore, it turned to investors in the Gulf seeking 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 pointed out heavy external debt payments that must be repaid between December 2023 and March 2024, 06/07/2023 https://www.bloomberght.com/).
7- Accordingly, the economic reasons outweigh the political reasons behind Erdogan's Gulf tour. An article published by the "Atlantic Council" website confirms this. ("Researchers Serhat Cubukcuoglu and Mouza Hasan Al-Marzooqi show, in this article published by the Atlantic Council website, that the main reason behind Turkey's renewed interest in strengthening relations with Gulf countries is to attract capital flows and maintain Erdogan's legacy as a leader who achieved economic growth over the past two decades..." 21/07/2023 https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/).
8- This also appears in Erdogan's statements: ("President Erdogan also pointed out that the volume of trade exchange between Turkey and the UAE reached $10 billion, noting that the UAE is considered one of Turkey's most important commercial and economic partners in the region. Erdogan explained that his visit to the UAE witnessed the signing of 13 agreements in various fields, and that their total value reaches $50.7 billion..." Emarat Al-Youm, 25/07/2023).
9- The conclusion is that Erdogan's visit to the Gulf region is an economic visit in the first degree. We would not be far from the truth if we said it was solely for an economic purpose: reducing inflation, improving the status of the Turkish Lira, and consequently restoring balance to the economic market in Turkey. All of this clearly indicates that the reality of Muslim lands cries out for their unity. The wealth of these lands, both above and below ground, is sufficient for its people, would eliminate their poverty, and elevate their status. If only they realized this matter, they would be brothers as servants of Allah, and they would truly be one nation, the best nation brought forth for mankind.
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 Allah." (Surah Ali 'Imran [3]: 110)
16th of Muharram 1445 AH 03/08/2023 CE