OIC: Burning of Holy Qur’an intended to hurt feelings of Muslims
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the burning of a copy of Islam’s Holy Qur’an by far-right extremists in Sweden as a “provocative offense” devised to anger Muslims.
In a statement on Sunday, the OIC’s General Secretariat said the highly sacrilegious assault was “counterproductive to the global effort to defeat extremism and hatred on grounds of religion and faith.”
The move, it added was a “provocative offense deliberately intended to outrage” the Muslims.
During an illegal gathering on Friday, supporters of right-wing Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, who leads the anti-Islamic group Tight Direction (Stram Kurs), burned a copy of Holy Qur’an in the southern Swedish city of Malmo.
A riot broke out after Paludan was stopped at the Swedish border and denied permission to attend the gathering. The rioters set car tires on fire and threw objects at police officers, injuring several of them.
The controversial Danish figure was subsequently banned by Swedish authorities from entering the country for two years. At least 10 arrests were also made in connection with the violence.
The OIC Islamophobia Observatory, which documents Islamophobic incidents across the world, welcomed the measures taken by the Swedish authorities against those who burned the holy book.
It also called on the Muslim community in Sweden “to exercise restraint and avoid violence.”
The Muslim body also said it would support global efforts to tackle such harmful islamophobia moves through different channels, including UN Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18, which provides a comprehensive plan for “combating incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence based on religion and faith.”
Paludan came to attention by provoking unrest through anti-Islam demonstrations and publicly burning a copy of Holy Qur’an in Denmark.
In an incident last year, the controversial figure had tossed in the air a book he claimed was a copy of Qur’an and let it fall to the ground.
He was also banned from commenting on Facebook last year over promoting hate speech aimed at people of a particular religion or ethnicity.
In June this year, Paludan, was sentenced to three months in jail after being found guilty of racism.
Slovak PM describes Trump’s state of mind as 'dangerous' to EU leaders
'Militia that kills’: Milan mayor says US ICE agents not welcome at Winter Olympics
European parliament pushes new hostile measures after CIA-Mossad-backed riots in Iran
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Iran to start no war, but Armed Forces poised to defend homeland: Govt. spokeswoman
VIDEO | UNMHA exit: A legacy of failure in Hudaydah as violations persist
VIDEO | Winter hardships deepen suffering in occupied West Bank
VIDEO | Homes under occupation: When living rooms become military posts
War could reach your own doorsteps: Iraqi anti-terror group warns Iran’s enemies
IRGC: Iran holds upper hand in determining any war’s endgame
'Fingers on trigger': Iran warns of strong response while signaling openness to 'fair' deal
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
