- Swedish mosque fire investigated.
- Concerns over religious intolerance.
- UN resolutions address hate speech.
On Tuesday, Swedish authorities announced an investigation into whether the fire that destroyed a mosque in central Sweden on Monday was a deliberate act.
“The investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. Swedish police will interview witnesses and ascertain if there were surveillance cameras in the vicinity,” stated the police on their website.
The fire erupted around noon on Monday in Eskilstuna, a municipality with a population of 108,000, located 150 kilometers (93 miles) west of Stockholm, according to an AFP police spokesperson. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Police have not arrested or identified any suspects.
“The mosque is nearly completely razed; nothing can be salvaged,” said Anas Deneche, the mosque’s spokesperson, to AFP.
Deneche revealed that the mosque had experienced several incidents of violence over the past year, and his family had faced threats.
“Nevertheless, it is premature to draw any conclusions about the cause of the fire; we must await the completion of the police investigation,” he emphasized.
The police indicated that they were pursuing multiple leads but provided no further details.
Eskilstuna is home to between 15,000 and 20,000 Muslims.
In Sweden, there has been a series of incidents involving the desecration of the Holy Quran in recent months, coinciding with the mosque fire. These burnings have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation in Muslim nations.
While the nation has condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran, it has also upheld its free speech and assembly laws.
In certain situations, the government has pledged to explore legal measures to prevent protests involving the desecration of holy texts, though a majority appears to oppose such a change.
Call for the prohibition of actions promoting religious hatred
In July, the United Nations Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on religious intolerance, introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
The resolution called for the UN’s human rights chief to issue a report on religious hatred and for states to review their laws and close any gaps that could “hinder the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred.”
In the same month, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously passed a resolution co-sponsored by Morocco and Pakistan, urging the fight against hate speech and strongly condemning attacks on places of worship, religious symbols, and sacred texts.
The 193-member assembly approved ‘Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in combatting hate speech’. It strongly denounced all acts of violence against individuals based on their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed at their religious symbols, holy books, homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centers, or places of worship, as well as all attacks on religious piety.
