A new incident of Holy Quran desecration in the Netherlands as “deeply offensive”
On Monday, Pakistan strongly denounced yet another incidence of the Holy Quran being desecrated in the Netherlands and urged the European nation to act quickly to stop such “hateful and Islamophobic acts.”
In a statement released today, the Foreign Office (FO) stated that Pakistan “condemns in the strongest terms the latest senseless and deeply offensive act of desecration of the Holy Quran that took place in The Hague, the Netherlands, in front of some embassies of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) member countries, including Pakistan.”
🔊: PR NO. 1️⃣8️⃣6️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣3️⃣
Desecration of the Holy Quran in The Hague, Netherlands
🔗⬇️ https://t.co/BBFePshTDz pic.twitter.com/o1NBkSEuA5
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) September 25, 2023
The Holy Quran was desecrated in front of the Turkish, Pakistani, and Indonesian embassies in The Hague, according to a report published on Saturday by the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah. Edwin Wagensveld, the leader of Pegida’s Dutch chapter, was also quoted as saying that he “insulted Islam and Muslims” in the same article.
The FO stated that the “deliberately provocative and Islamophobic act” wounded the feelings of Muslims around the world and that such activities could not be excused under the “guise of freedom of expression, opinion, and protest”.
It continued by saying that Pakistan had expressed its worries to the Dutch authorities, requesting that they be “mindful of the sentiments” of the people of Pakistan and Muslims worldwide and take proactive measures to stop such “hateful and Islamophobic acts”.
Pakistan holds that using one’s right to free speech entails obligations. Acts that encourage racism and Islamophobia should be aggressively avoided by national governments.
“It is crucial that the world community speak out against Islamophobia and collaborate to advance religious harmony. The United Nations General Assembly resolution designating March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia was passed in that spirit, according to the FO.
In a statement published earlier today on the social media site X, Saudi Arabia also condemned and criticised the event.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the Kingdom’s vehement condemnation of these abhorrent and persistent crimes, which are inadmissible in any situation. According to the nation’s foreign ministry, such actions “clearly promote hatred, exclusion, and racism and directly oppose international efforts to promote values of tolerance, moderation, and the rejection of extremism.”
#Statement | The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation and denunciation of the tearing up of copies of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist group in front of a number of embassies in The Hague. pic.twitter.com/IrE4ILNsKU
— Foreign Ministry 🇸🇦 (@KSAmofaEN) September 24, 2023
Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, meanwhile, urged “urgent and effective international steps to confront these aggressive and provocative actions against Muslims.”
معالي الأمين العام لـ #مجلس_التعاون يدين ويستنكر إقدام المتطرفين بتمزيق المصحف الشريف في #لاهاي، ويدعوا لاتخاذ خطوات دولية عاجلة وفاعلة للتصدي لهذه التصرفات العدوانية والاستفزازية للمسلمين.https://t.co/Pq0XLaTQnA #مجلس_التعاون#لاهاي pic.twitter.com/9Vi4v72nmc
— مجلس التعاون (@GCCSG) September 24, 2023
The “provocative act” was chastised by the OIC in a statement released a day ago.
It had urged the Dutch government to take action against such provocative activities and stop them from happening again.
At a rally last month outside the Turkish consulate in The Hague, Wagensveld crushed and tore up a copy of the Holy Quran, angering hundreds of counter-protesters.
The Dutch government had already expressed its disapproval of the demonstration’s planning but said it lacked the legal authority to stop it.
Recently, similar instances of the Holy Quran’s desecration have occurred in various European nations. A copy of the Quran was set on fire by two guys in front of the Swedish parliament in late July, and similar occurrences have occurred in Denmark this year.
Such protests have sparked resentment, censure, and occasionally conflict in a number of Muslim nations.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly last week, Muslim leaders chastised the West for setting the Holy Quran on fire.
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