AMMAN, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Tuesday condemned the ripping of a copy of the Quran in the Netherlands, stressing the rejection of hardline actions that fuel hatred and violence and threaten peaceful coexistence.

Burning or tearing up copies of the Quran is hate-motivated behavior and "a manifestation of Islamophobia itself," the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said such behavior "could not be considered freedom of expression at all," while calling on the international community to spread a culture of peace and tolerance while discarding extremism.

Edwin Wagensveld, leader of the Pegida movement in the Netherlands, tore up a copy of the Quran in front of the Dutch parliament in the Hague on Sunday. The action has prompted criticism from some Muslim countries and a number of Muslim communities in Europe.