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Pakistan on Monday condemned in the “strongest terms” last week’s desecration of the holy Quran at The Hague, the Netherlands in front of the embassies of OIC member states, including Pakistan.
Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of the Islamophobic group Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (PEGIDA) on Saturday tore up copies of the Quran in front of the embassies of Türkiye, Indonesia and Pakistan at The Hague. During a speech, Wagensveld also insulted Islam and Muslims.
Describing the incident as a “deliberately provocative and Islamophobic act” that had hurt the sentiments of Muslims globally, the Foreign Office said such acts could not be condoned under the guise of freedom of expression, opinion and protest. “Pakistan believes that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities. National governments should actively prevent racist and Islamophobic acts, which incite religious hatred,” it added in a statement.
Emphasizing the importance of the international community raising its voice against Islamophobia and working to promote interfaith harmony, the statement noted this was the “spirit” behind the U.N. General Assembly resolution declaring March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
“Pakistan’s concerns have been conveyed to the Dutch authorities,” read the Foreign Office statement. “We urge them to be mindful of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and Muslims around the world and take active steps to prevent such hateful and Islamophobic acts,” it added.
There has been a visible uptick in incidents of the desecration and vandalism of the Quran over the past few months. Taking notice of the situation, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last month voiced grave concern over the increase in Islamophobia during the 18th Extraordinary Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the OIC. The incidents, it noted, were primarily occurring in Nordic states. It called on all such governments to implement laws discouraging similar acts, stressing they hurt the sentiments of Muslims globally.