Pakistan has strongly condemned the abhorrent act of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden, stating that the “nearly 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide are hurt by this foolish and aggressive Islamophobic act.”
“Such actions are not covered under any legitimate expression of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, which carries responsibilities under international human rights law, such as the obligation not to carry out hate speech and incite people to violence,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Saturday.
“Islam is a religion of peace and Muslims, including in Pakistan, believe in respecting all religions. These principles must be supported by all,” the FO statement added.
Islamabad urged the international community to show a common resolve against Islamophobia, xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief, and work together for promoting inter-faith harmony and peaceful coexistence.
“Pakistan’s concerns are being conveyed to the authorities in Sweden. We urge them to be mindful of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and the Muslims worldwide and take steps to prevent Islamophobic acts,” the communiqué stated.
According to Reuters, an anti-immigrant politician from the far-right fringe burned a copy of the holy book near the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Türkiye and several Arab countries including Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait denounced the Quran burning. “Saudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism,” the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
