ISLAMABAD
\n+Muslim world has erupted in anger and alarm after Sweden allowed a far-right racist politician Rasmus Paludan to burn a copy of the Muslim Holy book Quran in front of the Turkish embassy building in Stockholm.
\n\u201cThis senseless and provocative Islamophobic act hurts the religious sensitivities of over 1.5 billion Muslims around the world,\u201d said a statement from the Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Ministry.
\nSuch actions are \u201cnot covered under any legitimate expression of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, which carries responsibilities under international human rights law, such as the obligation not to carry out hate speech and incite people to violence.\u201d
\n\u201cPakistan\u2019s concerns are being conveyed to the authorities in Sweden. We urge them to be mindful of the sentiments of the people of Pakistan and the Muslims worldwide and take steps to prevent Islamophobic acts,\u201d the statement added.
\n\u201cWe condemn in the strongest possible terms the vile attack on our holy book, the Quran, in Sweden today (21 January), despite our repeated warnings earlier,\u201d a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement said.
\nCalling the act \u201can outright hate crime,\u201d the ministry said: \u201cPermitting this anti-Islam act, which targets Muslims and insults our sacred values, under the guise of freedom of expression is completely unacceptable.\u201d
\n\u201cThis despicable act is yet another example of the alarming level that Islamophobia and, racist and discriminatory movements have reached in Europe.\u201d
\nKuwait said the incident \u201churts Muslims\u2019 sentiments across the world and marks serious provocation,\u201d Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Salem Abdullah Al Jaber Al Sabah said in statements cited by the state news agency KUNA.
\nHe called on the international community \u201cto shoulder responsibility by stopping such unacceptable acts and denouncing all forms of hatred and extremism and brining the perpetrators to accountability.\u201d \u201cSaudi Arabia calls for spreading the values of dialogue, tolerance, and coexistence, and rejects hatred and extremism,\u201d the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
\nThe United Arab Emirates said it was against \u201call practices aimed at destabilising security and stability in contravention of human and moral values and principles\u201d.
\nQatar condemned the Swedish authorities\u2019 permission to burn the Holy Quran and call on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to reject hatred and violence.
\nCalling it an attempt to stoke hatred and violence against Muslims, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said some European countries under the false pretext of advocating freedom of speech \u201callow extremist and radical elements to spread hatred against Islamic sanctities and values\u201d.
\nKanaani said despite the strong emphasis on human rights in Islam, Europeans continue to \u201cinstitutionalise anti-Islamism and Islamophobia\u201d in their societies.
\nHe added that the desecration of the Quran is a \u201cclear example of spreading hatred and fueling violence against Muslims\u201d, which has \u201cnothing to do with freedom of speech and thought\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD +Muslim world has erupted in anger and alarm after Sweden allowed a far-right racist politician Rasmus Paludan to burn a copy of the Muslim Holy book Quran in front of the Turkish embassy building in Stockholm. \u201cThis senseless and provocative Islamophobic act hurts the religious sensitivities of over 1.5 billion Muslims around the world,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309103,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-309079","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n