World News | Pakistan Condemns Anti-Islamic Acts in Sweden and Netherlands
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the recent abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran during rallies in Sweden and the offensive remarks by a Dutch politician, attacking Islam and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Islamabad, Apr 18 (PTI) Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned the recent abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran during rallies in Sweden and the offensive remarks by a Dutch politician, attacking Islam and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
These mindless provocative Islamophobic incidents serve no purpose other than hurting the sensitivities of over 1.5 billion Muslims living all over the world, the Foreign Office (FO) said in statement.
"Muslims, including in Pakistan, unequivocally condemn the practice of insulting Islam, Christianity and Judaism alike, and stand against all acts of violence on the basis of religion or belief,” said FO, adding that these principles must be equally respected and supported by all.
It said that such actions are not covered under legitimate expressions of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, which carry responsibilities under international human rights law, such as the obligation not to carry out hate speech and incite people to violence.
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In far-right anti-Muslim rallies over the Easter weekend in Sweden, the Holy Quran was burned, leading to riots in which over 40 people were injured.
The FO said that the international community needs to show a common resolve against xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief, and work together for promoting inter-faith harmony and peaceful co-existence.
The FO said Pakistan's concerns have been conveyed to the authorities in Sweden and The Netherlands and they have been urged to take cognizance of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and the Muslims worldwide.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)