TEHRAN –A number of Iranian stage artists and the employees of the General Office for Dramatic Arts at the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance have condemned the burning of a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden.Respecting the intellectual diversity and spiritual beliefs of the followers of any religion is a generic precept amongst sensible and advanced societies today, and desecration of Islamic sanctities is a sign of cultural decline, they announced in a statement published on Tuesday.“While expressing our disgust at the irresponsible and reckless act of an individual in desecrating the Holy Quran, we call for a judicial follow-up to the case,” reads part of the statement.Several of Iran’s cultural organizations, including the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) and Ahl-ul-Bayt World Assembly, have condemned the Swedish government after the police of the country granted permission for an anti-Islam protest during which a man tore up and burned a copy of the Holy Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday.  “The Swedish officials have viewed the burning of the divine and Muslims’ Holy Book as ‘freedom of speech’ and on the other hand, they consider the protests against the insulting and unacceptable action an example of the violation of freedom of speech,” ICRO director Mohammad-Mehdi Imanipur said in a statement published on Friday.

         “This is a contradiction in terms that the secret and obvious currents of power in the West seek purposefully and intentionally to develop,” he added.“Undoubtedly, Muslim nations deem the protection of the holiness of the Quran an absolute red line and would never remain silent about such an insulting action occurring in Sweden,” he noted.

  “The ICRO strongly condemns the insulting action against the Holy Quran in Sweden and asks the country's government to prevent anti-Quran gatherings and also to apologize to Muslims worldwide for crossing their religious red line and arousing their emotions,” he asserted.In a statement published on Friday, Ahl-ul-Bayt World Assembly called the Swedish government’s decision to grant permission to the gathering in Stockholm and censured the burning of the Holy Quran.The assembly asked the “freedom-loving people” and the followers of monotheistic religions along with Muslims to protest against “the evil policy seeking to insult all that is sacred and to stir up hatred.”    The center also asked international organizations to continue working in line with their missions to promote peaceful coexistence among human societies and to avoid any action that causes tension and difference among human societies.Muslims have held protests worldwide over the past three days to condemn the burning of the Holy Quran in Stockholm.ABU/