Marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union tweeted: “Today we commemorate the victims of the Jewish Holocaust. The European Union and the Swedish Presidency stand firmly against anti-Semitism, racism and all other forms of intolerance.”

However, when an extremist Swede burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm, with the connivance and protection of the police, the Swedish government’s firmness against anti-racism was limited to a tweet by its foreign minister on Jan. 21, saying: “The anti-Islamic provocations are appalling. Sweden enjoys great freedom of expression, but it does not mean that the Swedish government or personally, we support the opinions expressed.”

The argument of freedom of expression is what made it possible last week to repeat the burning of copies of the Holy Qur’an in the Netherlands and Denmark, and before that the incidents of insulting Islam and Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in France and elsewhere. The Western hypocrisy is evident in denying that freedom to similar protests against Zionism or homosexuality, as this is considered, as anti-Semitism and the dissemination of hate speech and racism punishable by law.

So why is there this Western hostility and hatred of the Islamic religion? The Islamic world has not committed crimes against humanity that would drive others to hold it hostile. The two world wars; the dropping of nuclear bombs; the killing of millions of indigenous people of Australia and the Red Indians in the two Americas; the triggering of strife and wars throughout the world, and other tragedies of colonialism, were committed by the West, and not by the Muslims.

They are aware of this, but they did not find a decisive reaction to stop the abhorrent practices against Islam, for several reasons, the most important of which are the following:

1. Their firm belief in the superiority of the white race over all other races, and that belief is firmly rooted in many of the writings of their thinkers that are filled with expressions of racism and hatred, such as the theory of ‘Great Replacement’ by French white supremacist author Renaud Camus, whose ideas are currently the inspiration for their policies, especially that of the far-right organizations.

2. Their desire to obscure the facts of the failure of their public policies, which led to the spread of poverty, unemployment, crime, corruption and insecurity in their countries, by spreading fright among their citizens about Islam. The World Population Report 2023 pointed out the rate of violent crimes being committed in various countries. According to the report, the global ranking with regard to the highest crimes of sexual violence was as follows: Sweden 2, Norway 11, Australia 12, Canada 14, Denmark 19, Belgium 21, and France 25.

3. The contradiction of the Islamic teachings with the liberal values of the West, which calls for degradation and atheism, and the desire to limit the spread of Islam internationally. The West is currently experiencing crises as a result of their moral fall, which negated the social and religious values.

The American writer Patrick Buchanan summarized in his book “The Death of the West” the results of this. He explained that 25 percent of the total number of children in America is illegitimate, and there are more than six million Americans addicted to drugs, and that the fertility rate of European women has been decreased to one child per woman. He says that this will lead to a decline of Europe’s population by nearly 70 percent by the end of this century.

4. There is a fundamental difference between Muslims and the West in their outlook toward life. Religion, which constitutes a mainstay for Muslims, has no value for Westerners in their lives. This is confirmed by a survey published by the Pew Research Center on Nov. 18, 2021, titled “What makes life meaningful? Views from 17 advanced economies.”

According to the poll, religion and faith accounted for only 2 percent (penultimate rank) of the preferences of 19,000 individuals surveyed in those countries regarding what has value in their lives. Sweden, France and Belgium have recorded the lowest rates in this matter.

5. The weakness experienced by some of the Islamic world, in terms of individuals, states and organizations, due to their lack of commitment to their values and their heritage, and their imitation of the West and their endeavor to please it, allowed others to attack their religion and spread discord among them and seek to lead their young men and women to the paths of loss and decline. It even came to the point that the West and international organizations adopted the reports of a Zionist organization to monitor the educational curricula in Islamic countries and demanded that they shall be amended based on their views.

That organization is the “Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education” (IMPACT-se), which was founded by the Zionist Yohanan Manor, the Israeli national who led the campaign to annul the United Nations General Assembly resolution equating Zionism with racism.

According to the changes of the era, which is witnessing uncertainty in the international system, I do not see anything that could indicate hope for a change in the behavior of the West. Consequently, if the Islamic Ummah wants honor and dignity, it must close its ranks by responding effectively to all transgressions that affect Islam, and to adhere to the instructions of the Almighty God contained in the Holy Qur’an, including:

First: Invite all to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and kind advice, and only debate with them in the best manner. Surely your Lord alone knows best who has strayed from His Way and who is rightly guided. (Surah An-Nahl: 125).

Second: Many among the People of the Book wish they could turn you believers back to disbelief because of their envy, after the truth has been made clear to them. Pardon and bear with them until Allah delivers His decision. Surely Allah is Most Capable of everything. (Al-Baqarah: 109).

Third: Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere. (Al-Anfal: 46).

Fourth: Indeed, those who love to see indecency spread among the believers will suffer a painful punishment in this life and the Hereafter. Allah knows and you do not know. (Al-Nur: 19).

Fifth: Whenever We intend to destroy a society, We command its elite to obey Allah but they act rebelliously in it. So the decree of punishment is justified, and We destroy it utterly. (Al-Isra: 16).

Sixth:This is because Allah would never discontinue His favor to a people until they discontinue their faith. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. (Al-Anfal: 53).

Seventh: Never will the Jews or Christians be pleased with you, until you follow their faith. Say, Allah’s guidance is the only true guidance. And if you were to follow their desires after all the knowledge that has come to you, there would be none to protect or help you against Allah. (Al-Baqarah: 120).