The tragic incident of the burning the Holy Quran in Sweden has been strongly condemned by international bodies including the European Union. Regarding the incident on July 5, the Commission of the Conferences of the European Union expressed fraternal support with Muslim countries. The message also attached a statement from the European Council of Muslim Leaders, signed by its president Imam Yahya Pallavicini,
The EU statement said that this action does not in any way reflect the opinion of the European Union. It said burning the Holy Quran or any other holy text is a blatant act of blasphemy and provocation. It added that manifestations of racism, xenophobia and intolerance have no place in Europe and it is even unfortunate that such an act was carried out during the important celebration of Eid-ul-Azha. The European Union said it remains committed to freedom of religion and belief, and that time has come to stand together for mutual understanding and stop conflict.
The rising incidents of the burning and desecration of the Holy Quran in Western countries around the world, including Sweden, are a matter of grave concern for Muslims. Freedom of expression is being used as a pretext to insult a sacred book such as the Holy Quran. Globally, there are clear laws for religious freedom and against desecration of religious rituals and books. In the United States, the he International Religious Freedom Act (IFRA) of 1998, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and Article 7 on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) are against religious discrimination in a broad sense.
The biggest question is why the Muslim Ummah does not raise its voice together against such incidents. This year, there has been a somewhat better reaction from the Muslim world than the past. Even the United Nations, Sweden and other countries also condemned this incident. OIC members also issued a condemnation on the violation of international law by Sweden. The OIC is the biggest platform that can protect the interests of Muslims. The bloc can adopt a resolution under Article 9 of an emergency or extraordinary nature. It should have invoked Article 9 of the OIC Charter and even triggered a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers under Article 10.
The OIC only issued the statement, nothing more. Although, we have to identify weaknesses because the events in Sweden contradicts international laws and frameworks, we have to do a lot. We have to raise our voice against Islamophobia by formulating a long-term plan so that such incidents do not happen in the future. Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights can be helpful in this regard, which prohibits intolerance and discrimination. Other international laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, also discourages religious intolerance. It is important to ensure the protection of religious sentiments and create such a plan to prevent such incidents in the future.
In the past in the same city of Sweden, a right-wing extremist committed a similar insulting incident, but was quickly forgotten by the OIC and Muslim countries. He is still walking freely and continuing his campaign because there were no consequences or punishment. This paved the way for another incident to happen in Sweden, because if effective action had been taken, no one would have dared to commit such an insulting and insolent act again.
Public protest in other countries, including Pakistan, against the humiliating incident in Sweden are laudable as it is a part of expressing their resentment. The world must understand that millions of Muslim are strongly against the insulting incidents and come out on the streets to register their protest. A nation that can take to the streets against such incidents can also force its rulers to take strict action under prevailing international laws.
It is noteworthy that the cursed person, an immigrant from Iraq, had obtained an order from the court in Sweden before the inexcusable act of burning the Holy Quran. The OIC held a mundane meeting which made it clear to Sweden that Muslim countries had risen up against this incident and could take it more seriously. It is not possible to solve such incidents with just such statements. A standalone statement is certainly insufficient in this regard.
The Swedish government also issued a statement condemning the incident and distanced itself from the act, while on the other hand, the accused person was provided police protection. A welcoming sign is that Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer said the Swedish government is considering making it a crime to burn the Holy Quran or other sacred books in light of the recent incidents that harm national security.
It is important that such incidents be addressed forever. If the Swedish government makes it a crime to burn the Quran, it will help reduce the prevalence of other blasphemous incidents, such as publishing insulting sketches of the Prophet (PBUH), insulting attacks on Muslims, mosques, and women. In order to stop all such incidents, the Muslim Ummah has to sit together and take action at the global level to improve the situation.
Translated by M.M. News Editorial Team
