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July 15th, 2023 
Awake Goy 
Leading Jewish Rabbi in Sweden Moshe David HaCohen has shared his view that burning a copy of the Torah is not an antisemitic act nor specifically targeted at Jews, Israeli Ynet News reported on Friday.
“It is an attempt to challenge freedom of expression and exploit it for acts of hatred,” HaCohen, who heads Amanah Muslim Jewish Partnership of Trust, explained.
“The individual wants to see if the system is biased and whether it will permit the burning of the Bible just as it allowed the burning of the Quran. In Sweden, freedom of expression is considered a sacred value,” HaCohen added.
Earlier on Friday, Swedish police approved a local’s request to burn the Bible on Saturday in front of the Israeli Embassy in Stockholm.
READ: UN Human Rights Council condemns attacks on Quran despite Western states rejection
This came two and a half weeks after allowing the burning of the Holy Quran in front of a major mosque in the Swedish capital, sparking anger against Sweden among Muslims worldwide.
“In recent days,” HaCohen continued, “we have been working diligently with Muslim leadership to prevent this from happening, and we hope to succeed.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen instructed his ministry and Ambassador to Sweden Zvi Nevo Kulman to take action to prevent the event.
“Burning a Torah scroll is a hate crime, a provocation and a severe affront to the Jewish people and the Jewish tradition,” Cohen asserted.
He added: “I call on the authorities in Sweden to prevent this disgraceful event and not allow the burning of a Torah scroll.”
Kulman tweeted: “I utterly condemn the burning of holy books sacred to any religion as an act of hate and disrespect that has nothing to do with freedom of expression.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog tweeted: “I unequivocally condemn the permission granted in Sweden to burn holy books.”
“As the president of the State of Israel, I condemned the burning of the Quran, sacred to Muslims the world over, and I am now heartbroken that the same fate awaits a Jewish Bible, the eternal book of the Jewish people.”
“Permitting the defacement of sacred texts is not an exercise in freedom of expression. It is blatant incitement and an act of pure hatred. The whole world must join together in clearly condemning this repulsive act,” Herzog concluded.
READ: Taliban halt Sweden activities in Afghanistan after Quran burning
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