OIC strongly condemns despicable act of desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden
ISLAMABAD (APP) - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), in an extraordinary meeting, held at Jeddah General Secretariat, has strongly condemned the recent despicable aggression against the sanctity of the copies of the Holy Quran, on the first day of Eidull Azha, outside the central mosque in the capital city of Stockholm, Kingdom of Sweden.
In an open-ended meeting convened at the invitation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the 14th Islamic Summit, and Chair of the Executive Committee of the OIC, the Executive Committee deplored the recurrence of acts of desecration of the copies of the Holy Quran, and deeply regretted the issuance of a permit by the authorities allowing that action to occur.
“Condemns all attempts to denigrate the sanctity of al Mushaf ash-Sharif as well as other sacred values and symbols of Islam under the garb of freedom of expression, which is contrary to the spirit of Articles (19) and (20) of the ICCPR; and calls upon the international community to stand against those provocative attempts,” a final communique of the meeting issued on Monday said.
It called upon all governments to fully implement their existing legal and administrative framework and adapt new legislation, if needed, consistent with their obligations under international law, norms, and standards to protect all individuals and communities against hate and violence based on religion and faith and to ensure the protection of places of worship.
The participants expressed grave concern at the increasing incidences of intolerance, discrimination, and acts of violence in the world. It noted with concern that Islamophobia was on the rise in many parts of the world as evidenced by the increasing number of incidents of religious intolerance, negative stereotypes, hatred, and violence against Muslims.
The OIC also expressed its deep concerns by the resurgence of racist movements and far-right extremism in multiple regions of the world through repeated acts of provocation by supporters of the far-right insulting Islamic religious symbols and sanctities, including the desecration of the copies of the Holy Quran.
It also condemned any advocacy of hatred that constituted incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence, whether through the use of printed means, audio-visual or electronic means, social media, or any other means.
The members reiterated the importance of promoting dialogue, understanding, and cooperation among religions, cultures, and civilizations for peace and harmony in the world and that spreading the values of tolerance and peace was the best way to confront hate speech, fanaticism, extremism, violence, and incitement.
It also stressed upon the commitment made by all states under the UN Charter to promote and encourage universal respect for the observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without discrimination based on race, gender, language, or religion.
The meeting requested the Secretary-General to send a letter on behalf of the OIC Member States to the Swedish government and to consider conducting an official visit to Stockholm and the European Union Commission to express the condemnation of the incident of burning the copies of the Mushaf ash-Sharif and call on them to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of that criminal act under the pretext of freedom of expression.
It welcomed the convening of an international conference on Islamophobia and Anti-Muslims Discrimination being held from 22 to 23 August in Kuala Lumpur, in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat.
