Afghanistan's Taliban government reacted angrily Thursday to Swedish authorities allowing a man to burn a copy of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm, calling it "utter contempt towards this noble religion".
Swedish police granted permission Wednesday for a man to set fire to pages of the Holy Quran outside Stockholm's main mosque, drawing condemnation from many Muslims around the world.
Police had allowed the protest in line with free-speech protections, but also opened an investigation into the man, originally from Iraq, for "agitation against an ethnic group".
Afghanistan's foreign ministry said it condemned the act "in the strongest terms".
"Permission for such despicable acts in front of a mosque on one of the holiest days of Islam shows nothing more than the utter contempt towards this noble religion and its close to two billion adherents by the Swedish authorities," it said in a statement.
"We call on all Muslim states and organisations... to take all appropriate measures in response to such odious acts across the world."
Stockholm is a major aid contributor to Kabul through its Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, which has been present in the country for more than 40 years.