Quran Desecration Aftermaths: Sweden Not to Take Part in U20 World Wrestling C'ships
The Swedish Wrestling Federation said it has withdrawn from competing at the Under-20 World Championships next month after it was moved from Poland to Jordan.
The event is due to take place in the Middle Eastern country's capital city of Amman from August 14 to 20 but will not feature any Swedish athletes.
"Yesterday, the Board held an extraordinary meeting on the issue and decided not to participate in the U20 World Championship in Amman, Jordan," read a statement from the National Federation.
"This decision is based on the current security situation for Swedes in the area.
"The selected squad will instead go to Romania and participate in a competition."
It comes after public desecrations of the Quran in Sweden which have led the governments of many Muslim countries to denounce Swedish authorities for allowing the acts.
The latest act of Quran desecration came last week after a demonstration in Stockholm saw protesters kick and damage a copy of the Holy Book.
It was planned by 37-year-old Iraqi refugee in Sweden Salwan Momika who also burned pages of a Quran on June 28.
It has sparked outrage across the Muslim world.
The foreign ministries of Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and host nation Jordan have all condemned the desecration, calling on the Swedish government to put a stop to it.
Jordan's foreign ministry described it as "a reckless act that fuels hatred, and a manifestation of Islamophobia that incites violence and insult to religions."
Source: insidethegames.biz
