Holy Quran desecration ‘not an ordinary Islamophobia incident’: OIC

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday held its emergency meeting and demanded collective measures including use of international laws to stop religious hatred incidents including desecration of Holy Quran.

The Saudi-based OIC statement comes days after a copy of Holy Quran was torched outside a Stockholm mosque.

The 57-member body met at its Jeddah headquarters to respond to Wednesday's incident in which an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, desecrated the holy book and set several pages alight.

It coincided with the start of the Eid ul Adha holiday and the end of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, sparking anger across the Muslim world.

On Sunday, the OIC urged member states to "take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the" Holy Quran, according a statement released after the "extraordinary" meeting.

The body's secretary general, Hissein Brahim Taha, "stressed the need to send a clear message that acts of desecration" of the Holy Quran are "not mere ordinary Islamophobia incidents," the statement said.

"We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred."

Taha condemned the Holy Quran burning incident as "a despicable act", echoing widespread denunciations that have included demonstrations near the Swedish embassy in Iraq's capital.

Countries including Iraq, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco have summoned Swedish ambassadors in protest.

Swedish police had granted Momika a permit in line with free speech protections, but authorities later said they had opened an investigation over "agitation".

'Despicable act'

Pakistan had earlier this week strongly condemned the "despicable act" of the public burning of a copy of the Holy Quran.

"Such wilful incitement to discrimination, hatred and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression and protest," a statement issued by the Foreign Office in condemnation of the abhorrent incident read.

The FO stated that international law binds all the states to prevent and prohibit any advocacy of "religious hatred" that leads to incitement of violence.

"The recurrence of such Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven actions."

The FO, on Pakistan's behalf, reiterated that the right to freedom of expression and opinion does not provide a license to stoke hatred and sabotage inter-faith harmony.

It said that the concerns regarding the matter were being raised with the government of Sweden.

It also urged the international community and the national governments to undertake credible and concrete measures to prevent the rising incidents of xenophobia, Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.

— With additional input from AFP