Desecration of Holy Quran: Swedish govt 'strongly rejects' Islamophobic act

• Sweden government strongly reacts to desecration of Holy Quran.   
• Such a ‘vile act’ is disrespectful to Muslims, says UNAOC official.
• "Int'l law binds all states to prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred."

Reacting to the "despicable act" of the public desecration of a copy of the Holy Quran on the occasion of Eid ul Adha, the Swedish government on Saturday strongly condemned the “Islamophobic act committed by individuals in the country.

In a statement, Sweden’s ministry of foreign affairs said: “This act in no way reflects the opinions of the Swedish government."

A man tore up and burned a copy of the holy book outside Stockholm's central mosque on Wednesday. Police later charged the man with agitation against an ethnic or national group.

A series of demonstrations in Sweden against Islam has offended the Muslim world, including Turkey, whose foreign minister said it was unacceptable to allow anti-Islam protests in the name of freedom of expression.

UNAOC slams desecration of Holy Quran

Earlier today, a top official for the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) unequivocally condemned the “vile act” of burning pages of the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in the centre of Stockholm as Muslims were offering Eid ul Adha prayer.

In a statement, Miguel Moratinos, the UNAOC’s High Representative, said that “such a ‘vile act’ is disrespectful to Muslims.”

Moratinos reiterated the importance of upholding the freedom of expression as a fundamental human right.

At the same time, he stressed that the desecration of sacred books and places of worship as well as religious symbols was “unacceptable and can lead to incitement of violence.”

He also reiterated that mutual respect was essential for building and promoting just, inclusive, and peaceful societies rooted in human rights and dignity for all.

In this context, the high representative recalled the United Nations Plan of Action to safeguard religious sites led by the UNAOC, which provides an overarching framework and a set of recommendations including strengthening religious pluralism and promoting mutual respect and human dignity.

Pakistan condemns 'despicable act' 

Pakistan, on June 29, strongly condemned the "despicable act" of the public burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in Sweden on the occasion of Eid ul Adha, in another incident of desecration of the sacred book.

"Such wilful incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression and protest," a statement issued by the Foreign Office in condemnation of the abhorrent incident read.

The FO stated that international law binds all the states to prevent and prohibit any advocacy of "religious hatred" that leads to incitement of violence.

"The recurrence of such Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven actions."

The FO, on Pakistan's behalf, reiterated that the right to freedom of expression and opinion does not provide a license to stoke hatred and sabotage inter-faith harmony.

It said that the concerns regarding the matter were being raised with the government of Sweden.

It also urged the international community and the national governments to undertake credible and concrete measures to prevent the rising incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.

— Additional input from APP