File photo of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, courtesy PPP Media Cell
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Monday reiterated its concern over an increase in incidents of Islamophobia, particularly with regards to desecration of the holy Quran in Nordic nations.
Over the past month, several incidents of individuals burning copies of the Quran have occurred in Sweden and Denmark, inviting strong criticism from Muslim countries. Taking note of this, the 18th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the OIC adopted a comprehensive resolution expressing “grave concern” over increasing incidents of intolerance, discrimination, and rising Islamophobia.
According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the OIC meeting reaffirmed the importance of an 8-point action plan unanimously agreed upon by the U.N. Human Rights Council to counter incitement to hatred, discrimination, stigmatization, and violence based on religion and belief. It also called on all governments to fully implement the existing legal and administrative framework or adopt new legislation to protect all individuals against hatred and violence based on religion and belief.
During the meeting, the OIC expressed “disappointment” over Sweden and Denmark’s response to several incidents of copies of the Quran being set alight, which have triggered outrage in Muslim states. OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, according to a statement issued by the 57-member OIC, called on both states to prevent such acts of desecration and “expressed his disappointment that no measures were taken in this regard so far.”
Lamenting that both Sweden and Denmark were hiding behind “freedom of expression” to allow such acts to reoccur, he said this resulted in a lack of respect for all religions. Taha said he would lead a delegation to the European Union to urge officials there “to take necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such criminal acts under the pretext of freedom of expression.” The OIC meeting also urged U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a special rapporteur on combating Islamophobia.
Desecration is not freedom of expression
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, participating in the OIC moot via video-link, condemned in the strongest terms Islamophobic and hateful acts of desecration of the holy Quran, stressing such actions manifested religious hatred and intolerance.
Stressing that such acts, and the permission to conduct them, did not constitute freedom of expression, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to work closely with OIC member states to highlight concerns about the willful acts of the burning and desecration of the holy Quran. He also welcomed the adoption of resolutions at the U.N. Human Rights Council and the U.N. General Assembly advocating inter-religious dialogue and shunning religious hatred.
During his address, the foreign minister reiterated a proposal he had made on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia for an action plan that would include the appointment of a U.N. Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia and the establishment of judicial mechanisms to hold perpetrators accountable.
In a subsequent posting on Twitter, he said Pakistan denounced all wanton acts of Islamophobia that caused distress and concern across the Muslim world. “[The] OIC carries the burden of responsibility to protect the dignity of Muslims. Pakistan has and will continue to partake in all OIC efforts to combat Islamophobia and project our collective concerns as resolutely as possible,” he added.