Khamzat Chimaev said Muslims in Sweden should be shown respect after far-right figure Rasmus Paludan publicly burned a copy of the holy book
Russian-born UFC fighter Khamzat Chimaev has said Muslims cannot look the other way after a far-right politician was allowed to publicly burn a copy of the Koran in Chimaev’s adopted homeland of Sweden.
The Danish-Swedish lawyer Rasmus Paludan, who leads the right-wing party Stram Kurs (Hard Line) in Denmark, set fire to the book on Saturday near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. The police had allowed Paludan to carry out the desecration of the Muslim holy book, despite an outcry from Turkish officials and criticism from the Swedish political elite.
Chimaev, 28, made his feelings clear in an Instagram post to his 4.7 million followers on Sunday. “He is a terrorist to us” wrote the fighter in Swedish, sharing a picture of Paludan with a copy of the Koran.
“I am Muslim but have never been against anyone’s religion and have never done what he has done to anyone’s religion. Why do you let him do this Sweden?” added the MMA star, along with a series of “thumbs down” emojis. “All of us shouldn’t keep quiet, you call us brothers so show us some respect.”
Chimaev was born in Chechnya but moved to Sweden in his late teens and fights out of Allstars Gym in Stockholm. Throughout his rise in the UFC – where he has won all six of his bouts to date – Chimaev has kept in close touch with his Chechen birthplace and is often seen with local leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his family.
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Chimaev was far from the only one angered by Paludan’s actions. Protesters later lit a Swedish flag in Istanbul on Saturday in response to the actions of the far-right figure. The row also comes as Sweden and Finland apply to join the NATO military alliance – where Trkiye is already a member. NATO members must give unanimous consent before any new nations are admitted to the alliance.
Source: sn.dk