ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday strongly condemned the abhorrent act of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden, stressing that the transfer damage the emotions of the 1.5 billion-strong Muslim neighborhood throughout the globe.
The nation’s condemnation got here after Rasmus Paludan, chief of the Danish far-right social gathering Stram Kurs (Laborious Line), burned the Holy Quran exterior the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Türkiye and a number of other Arab nations together with Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait denounced the Quran burning.
“Saudi Arabia requires spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism,” the Saudi International Ministry mentioned in an announcement.
The transfer has drawn extreme criticism from Türkiye as effectively, with Ankara calling off a go to by Sweden’s defence minister and mentioning that “it’s a racist motion, it’s not about freedom of expression”.
In its assertion, Pakistan’s International Workplace mentioned that this mindless and provocative Islamophobic act hurts the non secular sensitivities of billions of Muslims all over the world.
Such actions, the ministry mentioned, will not be lined below any authentic expression of the appropriate to freedom of expression or opinion, which carries tasks below worldwide human rights regulation, resembling the duty to not perform hate speech and incite folks to violence.
“Islam is a faith of peace, and Muslims, together with in Pakistan, consider in respecting all religions. These rules should be supported by all,” the International Workplace mentioned.
The ministry referred to as upon the worldwide neighborhood to indicate a standard resolve towards Islamophobia, xenophobia, intolerance, and incitement to violence on the premise of faith or perception, and work collectively for selling inter-faith concord and peaceable coexistence.
Pakistan’s considerations are being conveyed to the authorities in Sweden, it mentioned, urging them to be conscious of the emotions of Muslims and take steps to forestall Islamophobic acts.
Paludan, who additionally has Swedish citizenship, has held a variety of demonstrations up to now the place he has burned the Holy Quran.
Within the allow he obtained from police, it says his protest was held towards Islam and what it referred to as Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s try to affect freedom of expression in Sweden.
In April final yr, Paludan’s announcement of a Holy Quran burning “tour” for the holy month of Ramadan sparked riots throughout Sweden.