- Pakistani PM calls for action on desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
- OIC demands collective measures to prevent Quran desecration
- Pope Francis condemns the incident and rejects it as free expression
On Monday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Sweden to take “serious action” against the desecration of the Holy Quran and demanded an “independent” investigation into the incident.
The prime minister’s comments come after a man desecrated the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden, last week, prompting strong condemnation from several states, including Pakistan, Turkey, Jordan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, and Iran.
The Swedish government also condemned the incident as “Islamophobic”
The Organisation of Islamic Council (OIC), comprised of 57 states, held an “extraordinary” meeting in Saudi Arabia the day before and declared that collective measures were required to prevent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran and that international law should be used to combat religious intolerance.
It also exhorted member states to “take unified and collective measures to prevent a recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the” Holy Quran.
Today, while addressing the federal cabinet, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz condemned the “disgusting incident” that occurred in Sweden.
“Regrettably, this is not the first incident to occur… Such heartbreaking occurrences have occurred in the past. They emphasize that Sweden’s minority Muslim population faces Islamophobia and hostility.
“The Pakistani government condemns this hateful and discriminatory narrative,” he declared, urging the Swedish government to take action.
Referring to the OIC statement issued on Sunday, PM Shehbaz stated that the council also demanded that the perpetrator be “thoroughly investigated” and that future incidents of this nature be prevented.
“The Pakistani government supports the OIC’s decision and hopes that nothing similar will occur in the future,” he said. Adding that the Foreign Office would monitor the situation.
Following Friday’s Zuhr prayers (7 July), PTI Chairman Imran Khan called for a “peaceful protest” against Quran desecration.
We should convey that this incident has caused us great suffering” as a nation, he said.
Pope Francis claims he was ‘angry and disgusted’ by the incident.
Pope Francis condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran as a form of free expression and was appalled by it.
In an interview with the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad, published on Monday. The pope stated, “Any book considered holy should be respected out of respect for its believers.”
The pope stated, “I am angry and disgusted by these actions.” “Freedom of speech should never be used as a means to despise others, and allowing that is rejected and condemned.”
Saudi Arabia dispatches the Swedish envoy
State media reported early Monday that Saudi Arabia summoned Sweden’s ambassador to denounce the desecration of the Holy Quran.
The kingdom, which contains some of Islam’s holiest sites, had also condemned the incident.
According to the official Saudi Press Agency, the foreign ministry summoned the ambassador on Sunday to urge Sweden “to stop all actions that directly contradict international efforts to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism and undermine the necessary mutual respect between peoples and states.”
In Saudi Arabia, the sacrilege of the Holy Quran coincided with the beginning of Eidul Azha and the conclusion of the Haj pilgrimage, sparking widespread outrage.
