PM asks Sweden to clarify position on Holy Quran desecration

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the desecration of the Holy Quran was an attempt to create animosity between Muslims and Christians and any recurrence of such condemnable acts will in no way be tolerated. In his address to the joint sitting of Parliament, the prime minister urged United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convene a special session to invite Muslim world leaders, adopt a condemnatory resolution, and also warn the Swedish government and such individuals against the recurrence of such condemnable acts. The prime minister urged National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf to form a committee with a mandate to formulate recommendations for their onward dissemination to the world, including international organisations, so that such acts can be prevented. Read more: Sweden’s baptism of fire He said that, as per their belief, Muslims revere all revealed books including the Bible, as the Holy Quran teaches patience and harmony. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses the join session of the Parliament to condemn desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. Islamabad, 6th of July, 2023.@CMShehbaz pic.twitter.com/YWqUAXPEpG — PTV News (@PTVNewsOfficial) July 6, 2023 He said despite that, such deliberate Islamophobic acts were being carried out to pit Muslims against Christians. He said that the Swedish government would have to clarify its position as to why they allowed such an act under the protection of their police on the day when the Muslims were celebrating Eidul Azha. The prime minister urged the parliamentarians to condemn the act of the Swedish police and make it clear that the Muslims could even sacrifice their lives to protect the sanctity of the Holy Quran. He said that peaceful protests should not be construed as a weakness and that no one should complain about the consequences if such condemnable actions are repeated. Also read: Christian community condemns desecration incident in Sweden PM Shehbaz said that, as the country would observe the Sanctity of Holy Quran Day on Friday, the whole nation should stage rallies across the country to condemn the desecration of the Holy Quran and convey their sentiments to the world. Calling for using all political and legal options to avert recurrence of such acts, the prime minister also thanked the OIC for convening a special meeting in which they also adopted a condemnatory resolution and put forward suggestions. He said that Pakistan was not against the freedom of speech but no one had the right to desecrate anyone’s belief or fan hatred in this garb. PM Shehbaz urged the house to put forward suggestions which would be raised at the UN platform to tell the world that the billions of Muslims will not allow such hateful acts to be repeated. “This is beyond tolerance. This is not the first time as earlier too, the same thing happened in Sweden. This must be condemned in the strongest possible words,” he remarked. The prime minister recalled and appreciated the former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for her support to the Muslims, after an Islamophobic attack against Muslims, which was a positive attempt to establish peace between Muslims and Christians. He told the house that he was trying to contact the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to request him for convening an urgent session to invite the Muslim leaders and adopt a condemnatory resolution. “I will also ask him to warn such governments and individuals against redoing such acts aimed at fanning hatred,” he added. The prime minister thanked Pope Francis for condemning the act, saying his dissociation of such an Islamophobic action gave a positive image. The prime minister said he would convey the parliamentary resolution to the Swedish government as the Foreign Office was also making its due efforts on the diplomatic fronts.