Ansarullah: "The West allows the desecration of the Quran under the influence of the Zionist lobby"

The West allows the perpetration of the crime of insulting the sacredness of Muslims under the influence of the Zionist lobby. Thus , the leader of the Yemeni popular resistance movement Ansarullah, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, commenting on the burning of the Quran in Sweden.

The incident took place less than a week ago in front of the Medborgarplatsen Mosque in Stockholm's central Sodermalm district, after police authorization following a court ruling. With people beginning to gather at the site of the planned event, 37-year-old Iraqi Salwan Momika received permission to burn copies of the holy book. Swedish police had authorized the burning of the Koran outside the Stockholm Mosque.

The authorization came after the Court of Appeal ruled that it was wrong for police to refuse demonstrations because of the risk of an attack. The action occurred on the eve of the major Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice), which marks the conclusion of the annual Hajj pilgrimage attended by millions of Muslims from across the world.

The act of desecration opened the door to protest throughout the Muslim world. The Yemeni exponent vehemently condemned Western countries' double standards against Muslims, saying acts of sacrilege against the Holy Quran amount to an insult against all prophets and holy books. Westerners refuse to expose the crimes of the Zionists, he said, adding, "This indicates the influence of the Zionist lobby [in Western countries]." "The lobby manipulates the West and infiltrates nations as it pleases. The Western world, therefore, has turned into a hotbed of the lobby's plots."

The Ansarullah leader, meanwhile, criticized Muslim countries for their inability to discount the insult with an appropriate response. "It would be a salutary lesson for other countries if Muslim countries break off their diplomatic relations with Sweden and start subjecting it to economic sanctions," he said.