ISLAMABAD — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the whole Muslim Ummah including the government and people of Pakistan strongly condemned another incident of burning a copy of Holy Quran in Sweden.
“We demand immediate action against the perpetrator. Unfortunately, this is not the first time as a similar incident had also taken place in the past,” he remarked.
He also demanded of the Swedish government to take notice of Islamophobic and hateful narrative against the Muslim population in their country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz appreciated the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation for convening an urgent meeting on the issue and said that Pakistan endorsed their meeting and decision, with a hope that such Islamophobic incidents did not recur in the future.
Two men burnt a Quran outside the main mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday, when most of the Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid ul Adha festivities, following approval from a Swedish court.
According to Swedish public broadcaster SVT, the guy who had requested authorization for the action, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant who wants the book banned, tore out pages from the Quran, rubbed them on his shoe, and put part of them on fire.
Around 200 individuals, including counter-protesters, arrived to observe. One person who attempted to throw a rock was apprehended.
The Government of Pakistan strongly condemned the despicable act of public burning of the Holy Quran, saying such wilful incitement to discrimination, hatred, and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression and protest.
Under international law, states are duty-bound to prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred, leading to the incitement of violence. The recurrence of such Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven actions.