BEIJING:Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Wednesdayhoped that Sweden would earnestly respect the religious beliefs of Muslimsand other minority groups, protect their lawful rights and interests, andsquare their words of respecting and protecting freedom of religious beliefwith actions.
China always opposes extreme behavior of attacking people with differentreligious beliefs and instigating conflicts between civilizations, he saidwhile commenting on the recently anti-Islam rallies organized by far-rightpolitical party Stram Kurs in multiple places across Sweden and burning ofthe Holy Quran, which had triggered an outrage among the Muslim community.
Large-scale unrest broke out in many places across Sweden, resulting in thevandalism of public facilities and injuries of many people.
While noting the relevant reports, Wang Wenbin said that freedom of speechshould not be used as an excuse to incite racial or cultural discriminationand create division in society. No civilization is superior to others. Theyare different only in feature and geographical distribution.
Read Top Stories
He said that the Chinese side advocates replacing clash of civilizationswith exchange of civilizations and added, We oppose discriminatory rhetoricagainst certain religion and civilization.
