During the weekend, the Danish far-right Stram Kurs (Hard Line) Party live-streamed a video of its Danish-Swedish extremist leader Rasmus Paludan burning a copy of the Quran in southern Sweden’s Linkoping.

The anti-Islam, anti-migrant party — which was established in 2017 — staged this act more than once in 2020.

 “The Quran will remain in its lofty place as a guide for humanity… Its sanctity will not be compromised by the grudges of the young, nor the actions of those who stir up sedition and endorse hate,” Al-Azhar said in a statement on Monday.

It added that such acts are a flagrant violation of all international laws that stipulate the need to adhere to respecting the sanctities of peoples, their beliefs, and religions.

The encroaching on religious sanctities is not a matter of freedom of expression but rather is “barbaric apostasy” that disregards human values, fosters violence and hatred, and undermines the security and stability of societies, the statement reiterated.

It also called for the necessity of enacting international laws to prevent the abuse of religious icons and to ensure the necessary guarantees to protect Muslims’ right to practice their religion, the statement added.