“The desecration of the Holy Book, while Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid Al-Adha, is very offensive to Muslims worldwide. It violates the universal principle of respect and understanding towards all religions and their holy scriptures,” said Zambry in a tweet.

The incident has sparked international outrage, with the US, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Morocco and Jordan among the countries which have condemned it.

Reuters reported that Swedish police granted permission for a protest in which the organiser planned to burn the Quran. The man was later charged with agitation against an ethnic or national group.

Police said the security risks associated with the burning “were not of a nature that could justify, under current laws, a decision to reject the request”.

Although Swedish police have rejected several recent applications for anti-Quran demonstrations, courts have overruled those decisions, saying they infringed on freedom of speech.

In January, Swedish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan’s burning of the Quran sparked outrage among Muslims worldwide.

In Malaysia, around 400 people marched to the Swedish embassy to protest the Swedish government’s inaction regarding the incident.

Meanwhile, religious affairs minister Na’im Mokhtar urged the Swedish government to stop allowing such provocative acts of Quran burning in Sweden.

Such acts were clearly hate crimes and those who committed such acts should be held accountable for their actions, Bernama reported him as saying in a statement.

Na’im said the government was deeply concerned and outraged that such despicable acts continued to be allowed in Sweden in the name of freedom of expression.

He said Muslims around the world must stand united against this “clear manifestation of hatred, religious intolerance and Islamophobia”.

“Freedom of expression is a fundamental right, but it is essential to uphold this right within the boundaries of respect and responsibility.”