Daily Times

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has denounced the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and called for taking collective measures to stop the recurrence of Islamophobic incidents in the future.

The statement by the OIC, a bloc of 57 Muslim countries, was issued after an extraordinary meeting in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah called to discuss Wednesday’s incident. The Islamic body said measures are needed to prevent acts of desecration of the holy book and international law should be used to stop religious hatred after the holy book was burned in a protest in Sweden. “We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred,” OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said.

A man burned a copy of the holy book outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, the first day of the Muslim Eid ul Adha holidays. The act angered OIC member Turkey whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to the NATO military alliance. Swedish police had granted permission for a protest to take place. But after the burning, police charged the man who carried it out with agitation against an ethnic or national group.

The incident has triggered large protests in Baghdad in front of the Swedish Embassy. It has also been condemned by the United States. Turkey in late January suspended talks with Sweden on its NATO application after a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Koran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm.

Pakistan had earlier this week strongly condemned the “despicable act” of the public burning of a copy of the Holy Quran.

“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.

Meanwhile, the Sweden’s government condemned this week’s burning of a Quran outside Stockholm’s main mosque, calling it an “Islamophobic” act, after an international Islamic body called for measures to avoid future burnings. “The Swedish Government fully understands that the Islamophobic acts committed by individuals at demonstrations in Sweden can be offensive to Muslims,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. “We strongly condemn these acts, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government,” it added.