Jeddah, 3 June, 2023 (GNP): The executive committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held a meeting in Jeddah on Sunday, representatives from 57 member states to condemn and avoid the future desecration of the Holy Qur’an.
The development came following the Quran burning incident that took place in front of the Central Mosque in Stockholm, Sweden, on the first day of Eid Al-Adha.
The despicable Islamophobic act, committed by Salwan Momika 37, an Iraqi refugee in Sweden, who was involved in the desecration and burning of the Qur’an, has led to widespread outrage and condemnation across the Muslim and Arab world.
OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha, “stressed the need to send a clear message that acts of desecration” of the Quran are “not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents,”.
Secretary-General calls on extraordinary meeting of the #OIC Executive Committee to take collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’an and insult against Prophet Muhammad. Read More: https://t.co/sVYBtjFzwH pic.twitter.com/KAnZgThwNs
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) July 2, 2023
“We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which explicitly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred,” he added.
Highlights from the speech of the the #OIC Secretary-General, Hissein Brahim Taha, during the Extraordinary Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee held today, July 2, 2023, in Jeddah to discuss the repercussions of burning a copy of the Holy Qur'an in #Sweden pic.twitter.com/vwmL6wXh93
— OIC (@OIC_OCI) July 2, 2023
Moreover, Saleh Hamad Al-Suhaibani, the Saudi representative to the OIC, expressed hope that this emergency meeting would yield valuable outputs and fruitful results, effectively putting an end to these despicable behaviors.
“The Kingdom strongly condemns and censures these repeated actions. Such acts are unacceptable regardless of any rationale, and they overtly encourage hatred, exclusion, and racism,” he added.
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Furthermore, Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco have summoned Swedish envoys to express their protests.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, on Twitter, announced Iran’s decision to refrain from sending Hojjatollah Faghani, a new ambassador to Sweden as a sign of protest against the Swedish government’s permission granted to Momika.
In response to the OIC’s call for action against future anti-Islamic acts, the Sweden Foreign Ministry stated: “We strongly condemn these acts, which in no way reflect the views of the Swedish government.”
However, the expressions of racism, xenophobia, and related intolerance have no place in Sweden or Europe, he added.
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OIC member states have united to condemn this incident vehemently. Countries such as Turkiye, Pakistan, Cameroon, and Gambia have expressed their strong condemnation and disapproval during the meeting. Ambassadors and representatives have also voiced their concerns and called for swift action against the perpetrators.
Mehmet Metin Eker, permanent representative of Turkiye to the OIC, expressed his dissatisfaction with Sweden’s lack of action in response to these provocative attacks on sacred values, disguised under the guise of freedom of speech and expression.
Eker commended the United Nations’ adoption of a resolution proclaiming March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, seeing it as a “step in the right direction.”
Meanwhile, Syed Mohammed Fawad Sher, permanent representative of Pakistan to the OIC, expressed strong condemnation of the government of Pakistan regarding this cruel act committed during the auspicious occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
