- OIC should play a role in representing the sentiments of Muslims: PM
- Satan’s followers are blaspheming holy book, says PM Shahbaz.
- Pakistan condemns the incident “in the strongest terms”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday strongly condemned yet another incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden, vowing to launch a campaign to end sacrilege of holy books in the Nordic state.
The prime minister said the government would seek the platform of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to help build a common strategy to get rid of the evil.
The PM’s remarks came after a man crushed a Quran outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm on Thursday but did not set the book on fire, hours after protesters stormed Sweden’s Baghdad embassy over the possibility of burning the Muslim holy book.
Salvan Momica, 37, stomped and kicked a Koran, but left the protest without burning pages from the book – as she did at a similar protest outside Stockholm’s main mosque less than a month ago.
Furthermore, the PM said that the OIC should play its role in representing the sentiments of the Muslim Ummah and remove this evil. The prime minister promised to launch a campaign to reverse the decision to allow desecration of the Torah, Bible and Holy Quran.
He said that allowing the desecration of holy books, persons and rituals is not freedom of expression, but a way of constantly tormenting the world.
The sequence of events is proof that this is not freedom of expression, but part of a political and satanic agenda, he said.
“The entire world of Islam and Christianity must collectively stop this conspiracy. The followers of Satan are blaspheming the holy book which has given respect, authority and guidance to human beings.”
The Prime Minister said that the decision to allow desecration of the Torah and the Gospel encouraged desecration.
This is promotion of hatred which is not permitted under international law and such attitudes of religious incitement, terrorism and incitement to violence were fatal to world peace.
The Prime Minister remarked, “These practices are highly abhorrent and reprehensible both legally and morally.”
Condemned in the ‘strongest terms’
In addition, Pakistan has condemned “in the strongest terms” yet another Islamophobic act of public desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
The Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement that allowing premeditated and provocative acts of religious hatred to be carried out under the guise of freedom of expression, opinion and protest cannot be justified.
The spokesperson said that international law clearly obliges states to prevent and prohibit the deliberate incitement of hatred, discrimination and violence on the basis of religion or belief.
He reiterated Pakistan’s call on the international community to unequivocally condemn these Islamophobic acts.
– With additional inputs from Radio Pakistan and AFP
