Some Things We Can Learn From The Planned Torah Burning in Sweden

In case you have not been following events in Sweden, a Muslim activist received permission to burn a Torah and a Bible outside the Israeli embassy there, understandably causing much outrage.

It turns out he now claims he applied for the permission just as a publicity stunt to draw attention to the burning of a Quran.

A Muslim activist who had received permission to burn a Torah and a Bible outside the Israeli embassy in Sweden on Saturday said he was backing off from the move, adding that he only wanted to draw attention to the recent burning of the Quran in the country.

The man, identified as Ahmad Alush, 32, had received permission from Swedish authorities to perform the act, drawing widespread condemnation and protest from Israel and Jewish groups, among others.

But Alush arrived outside the Israeli diplomatic mission on Saturday clutching only a copy of the Quran and said it was never his intention to burn Jewish or Christian holy books, only to protest the recent burning of the Quran.

A Muslim activist who had received permission to burn a Torah and a Bible outside the Israeli embassy in Sweden on Saturday said he was backing off from the move, adding that he only wanted to draw attention to the recent burning of the Quran in the country.

The man, identified as Ahmad Alush, 32, had received permission from Swedish authorities to perform the act, drawing widespread condemnation and protest from Israel and Jewish groups, among others.

But Alush arrived outside the Israeli diplomatic mission on Saturday clutching only a copy of the Quran and said it was never his intention to burn Jewish or Christian holy books, only to protest the recent burning of the Quran.

“It is against the Quran to burn and I will not burn. No one should do that,” Alush, who is of Syrian origin, told reporters gathered at the scene.

“This is a response to the people who burn the Quran. I want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be taken into account,” he added.

“I want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah, another the Bible, another the Quran, there will be war here. What I wanted to show is that it’s not right to do it.”

I would like to make a couple of points here.

Firstly, Israeli President Isaac Herzog - painted as the devil by Ilhan Omar - did not just condemn the decision to allow the Torah burning, but also condemned the burning of the Quran:

No doubt Ilhan won't be applauding him for this.

Secondly, with all the outrage surrounding the incident, perhaps a very important point has been lost. Consider the fact the "activist" announced he would be burning the Torah outside the Israeli embassy of all places. Why there of all places? This is not just another example of bringing Israel in to conflicts and issues that have nothing to do with us; it is also an acknowledgement - even though I am sure it was not his intention - that Zionism and Judaism are inextricably linked.