Incident in Maulbronn

Quran was burned and thrown from a moving vehicle in front of a mosque in southwestern Germany, the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) confirmed Monday.

The incident happened in front of the Mimar Sinan Mosque in the town of Maulbronn, located in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, from a moving vehicle.

Details of the Incident

Osman Adıbelli, director of the mosque association, said the incident took place on the night of Saturday, July 8.

“After the incident, when we reviewed surveillance footage of our mosque, we saw that an object was thrown in front of the mosque from a vehicle on the main street. Around 4:45 a.m. (0245GMT), our congregation members who came for morning prayers noticed a burned Quran at the entrance of the mosque,” he explained.

Criminal Complaint Filed

Adıbelli said they have filed a criminal complaint over the incident and added: “Due to the reflection of the headlights of the vehicle approaching the front of the mosque we do not know the license plate number or how many individuals were involved in the attack.”

Launch of Investigation

Expressing great sorrow and concern over the attack, Adıbelli announced that an investigation has been launched.

Continued Desecrations

The incident comes in the wake of multiple burnings or desecrations of Qurans in various European countries, including a recent high-profile Quran burning in front of a mosque in Sweden, allowed by the police, drawing international outrage.

Muslim leaders and politicians have stressed that such desecrations and provocations are not covered by freedom of expression laws.