Last Updated on: 14th July 2023, 08:19 am
PM Horrified By ‘Despicable’ Quran Burning Incident in Sweden
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the incident of the public burning of the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in Sweden.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said: “Such despicable and egregious Islamophobic acts constitute a flagrant violation of international law.”
The Prime Minister said there were no words to adequately condemn this anti-Islamic act, which clearly aims to hurt the feelings of Muslims around the world.
Pakistan Expresses Concern
Pakistan has strongly condemned the despicable act of publicly burning the Holy Qur’an outside a mosque in Sweden on Eid-ul-Azha.
The State Department issued a statement saying that such deliberate incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence could not be justified on the pretext of freedom of expression and protest.
The spokesman said states have an obligation under international law to prohibit any endorsement of religious hatred that leads to incitement to violence.
The repetition of such Islamophobic incidents in the West in recent months seriously challenges the legal framework that allows for such hate-motivated acts, the statement said.
The statement reiterated that the right to freedom of expression and opinion must not arouse hatred and sabotage interfaith harmony. The spokesman said Pakistan’s concerns about the incident had been relayed to Sweden.
Pakistan called on the international community and national governments to take credible and concrete steps to prevent increasing incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia, and hatred against Muslims.
The Muslim world has also sharply condemned the burning of the Holy Quran in front of a mosque in Sweden. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated that these repeated heinous acts could not be accepted with justification.
Morocco has withdrawn its ambassador from Stockholm and summoned the Swedish chargé d’affaires to Rabat. Iraq said the incident reflected a hateful aggressive spirit that had nothing to do with freedom of expression.
Iran called the burning of the Quran “provocative” and “unacceptable,” while Egypt described it as a “shameful” act, particularly provocative when Muslims celebrate Eid-ul-Adha.
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