The Senate criticizes the desecration of the Holy Koran in Sweden, the Netherlands
ISLAMABAD:
The Senate of Pakistan passed a unanimous resolution on Friday to condemn the heinous act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands, which has hurt the religious sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.
The Upper House of Parliament strongly protested the governments of Sweden and the Netherlands for allowing extremist elements to carry out this heinous crime in the guise of freedom of expression.
The Senate termed this shameful incident of Islamophobia as hateful and contrary to the principles of international law laid down in several instruments, including UN General Assembly Resolution no. 36/35 of 25 November 1981, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and European Guidelines on Freedom of Religion and Belief, the UN General Assembly Resolution 56/6 of 9 November 2001 on the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations, UN Human Rights Commission Resolution 2005/40 and others.
According to the resolution, the Senate stands to uphold the universal principles highlighted above and expresses the collective will of the state and people of Pakistan against the act of desecration of the Holy Quran by racists and extremists.
It said this heinous crime was a calculated and deliberate attempt to harm interfaith harmony, social peace and religious tolerance, and will ultimately prove divisive to peace and stability among countries, cultures and civilizations.
The Senate urged Muslims to maintain their calm and composure, refuse to be intimidated by hate-mongering Islamophobes and promote Islam’s message of peace, tolerance and universal brotherhood.
It also urged the government to initiate prompt action on the following lines such as; called the ambassador of Sweden and the Netherlands and conveyed the strong feelings, and shock and anger that the people of Pakistan felt against the desecration of the Holy Quran.
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It also stressed Sweden and the Netherlands for firm legal action against those who desecrated the Holy Quran.
It also suggested that the government contact, coordinate and collaborate among the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take a unified position on this issue, which is central to the core beliefs of all Muslims.
The Senate further asked to take up this very important and urgent issue before the upcoming session of the UN Human Rights Council, which meets in Geneva next week.