Stockholm outrage.

IT is difficult to accept the free speech argument being used to 'defend' frequent acts of desecration by extremists targeting symbols held dear by over a billion Muslims the world over. The fact is that these offensive acts are committed by those with a visceral hatred for Islam and Muslims, and often this animus manifests itself in the shape of grotesque violence. There can be nothing but condemnation of the burning of the Holy Quran in the Swedish capital Stockholm over the weekend by a far-right politician. It goes without saying that a serious discussion in the EU and the West in general is necessary to prevent such outrages from happening again and again. The culprit committed the act in front of the Turkish embassy, and has indulged in similarly hateful behaviour earlier as well. The desecration has been widely condemned by the OIC and individual Muslim states, including Pakistan, while the Swedish PM has criticised the crime as 'deeply disrespectful'.

While freedom of expression and belief may be fundamental rights, when religious symbols are attacked by Islamophobes, it...