Insults to Islamic sanctities are rooted in West’s anti-religion ideology: Analyst

By Ali Ghorban Bagheri

The repeated cases of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Europe are rooted in the West's anti-religion ideology and its concern over the dynamicity and achievements of pro-Muslim movements worldwide, says a political analyst.  

In an interview with the Press TV website, Iraq-based commentator Mohanad Javad said the Western countries see pro-religion movements as a threat to their civilization.  

"I'm of the opinion that these insults are due to the growth and dynamicity of Muslim movements worldwide and their economic, scientific and cultural achievements as well as the existence of a major religious government, the Islamic Republic of Iran," he asserted. 

"All these achievements worry Western governments, as such religious experiences threaten the Western civilizations, which are based on sidelining religion and promoting secularism.”

Massive protests have been witnessed in different Muslim countries in recent weeks in the wake of the fresh incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark, triggering vociferous calls for a boycott against the two European countries.

A 37-year-old Christian Iraqi refugee in Sweden, Salwan Momika, desecrated the Holy Quran in front of Stockholm’s largest mosque during the Islamic Eid al-Adha festival on June 28.

It was followed by another such incident by the same extremist on July 19 in front of the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, again with strict police protection.

In a similar act of insult against sacred Islamic sanctities, an anti-Muslim group Danske Patrioter on Friday burned a copy of the Holy Quran in Denmark's capital Copenhagen under police cover.

In reaction to these incidents, Iraq has been widespread protests in recent weeks, with angry protesters even storming the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad and the Iraqi government expelling the Swedish envoy.

The Iraqi analyst said hostility towards Islam is an integral part of the Western ideology, citing the West's support for Salman Rushdie, the author of a controversial book on Islam, as well as the French government’s war against Hijab and various types of curbs on veiled women.  

Javad said Islam is now particularly targeted in Western countries as it is on the path to becoming the world's leading religion with the maximum number of adherents.

"Islam seeks to fix diversions in other religions. So the battle going on against this religion is a war of returning the world to the dark ages," he told the Press TV website.

Javad further stated that the rise in sacrilegious acts in the West is designed to further accelerate a "psychological war" against Muslims to show the Muslim Ummah as "defeated and lost".

He said the West's support for terror groups including Daesh was also aimed at tarnishing the image of Islam.

"Western governments have supported terrorist groups in the region to hit two birds with one stone, to portray Muslims as terrorists and also destroy the infrastructure of Islamic countries," he said.  

On the burning of the Iraqi flags in Sweden and Denmark, the analyst said the West is targeting Iraq as it’s a base of religious thinking and a scene of peaceful coexistence between Muslims and non-Muslims.

"They seek to weaken Iraq's Muslim base and to foment internal divisions in the country," he said, noting that the Iraqi government's "brave" reaction and the Iraqi people's "patriotic" protests have been strong pushback against the wave of insulting acts.  

The analyst hailed protests in other Muslim countries in condemnation of the incidents in Sweden and Denmark, urging Muslims in those countries not to remain silent in the face of such attacks.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.ir