The Iraqi Government welcomed on Saturday the step taken by the Danish Government to criminalize the burning of the Holy Quran or any other heavenly book.

Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein exchanged messages with his Danish counterpart Lars Lokke Rasmussen in which he said that this step would preserve status and respect for these religious books, which are sanctified by many societies in the world.

The Iraqi Government respects freedom of expression, as enshrined in the Denmark Constitution, however such freedoms must not be exploited to provide the erroneous right for some to disdain the sanctities and the heavenly books that are revered by millions of Muslims and other nations worldwide, Hussein affirmed.

Targeting the sacred entities foments hatred, widens the gulf among nations, threatens co-existence and undermines relations between Islamic and European countries, he added The Iraqi minister hoped that the new legislation will be approved as soon as possible.

For his part, the Danish minister said such conducts do not represent the Danish people and that freedom of expression is the foundation of democracy.

Source: Qatar News Agency