Norway Holy Quran desecration: Pakistan summons ambassador

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan summoned the ambassador of Norway on Saturday to express its 'deep concern' over the desecration of the Holy Quran incident that took place in  Kristiansand last week. 

A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated that the Foreign Office summoned the Norwegian ambassador to  convey its "deep concern of the government and people of Pakistan". 

Pakistan conveyed to the Norwegian authorities that the incident hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims across the world including those in Pakistan. The foreign office said that such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression. 

"The Norwegian authorities were urged to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future," read the press release."The Ambassador of Pakistan in Oslo has also been instructed to convey Pakistan’s protest and deep concern to the Norwegian authorities."

Desecration of Holy Quran in Norway: Social media hails efforts of 'Muslim hero'

A scuffle broke out after the leader of the 'Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)' rally, Lars Thorsen, tried to burn a copy of the holy book in the city of Kristiansand despite warnings from local police officials.

In a video on social media, the 'Muslim hero' could be seen jumping into the barricaded circle to save the holy book from being desecrated. The rally soon turned violent, after which police took Thorsen and his attackers into custody.

The man who stopped Thorsen from burning the Holy Quran was being called Ilyas on social media, but his exact identity could not be ascertained.

Netizens took to social media to praise Ilyas and also raise alarm over the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and around the world.

#ilyas_Hero_of_Muslim_Ummah, #Norway, #Defender_of_Quran, #TheGloriousQuran and Muslims started trending on Twitter in Pakistan.