Condemnation of Holy Quran desecration continues

PESHAWAR: The civil society members on Wednesday continued to condemn the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Charsadda.

Speaking at a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Shi-yaan-e-Peshawar leaders Allama Abid Hussain Shakiri, Akhundzada Muzaffar Ali, Maulana Zakkiul Hassan and others said that silence over the desecration of the Holy Quran was a crime in Sharia.

They said the desecration with the alleged support of the government in Sweden had hurt the feelings of the Muslims.

The speakers accused the West of deliberately supporting such actions to create 2001-like conditions for some ulterior motives. They said certain groups in the West on the pretext of freedom of speech were provoking the Muslims.

The speakers asked the government of Pakistan call back its ambassador from Sweden and urged the Muslims across the world to boycott the Swedish products. They also demanded strict action against those who had desecrated the Holy Quran in Charsadda.

Speaking at a separate press conference Pak Council of World Religions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter leaders Maulana Roohullah Madani, Bishop Humphrey Sarfaraz Peters, Professor Dr Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor, Allama Fakharul Hassan, Haroon Sarab Dayal, Baba Gee Gurpal Singh, Pandit Shaam Lal and others condemned the incident.

They said the Swedish government allowed the protest outside the mosque on Eid, pointing out that nowhere in the world a protest was allowed outside the worship place of any religion on the religious festivals.

The speakers said the incident in Sweden was a condemnable act. They asked the Muslim countries and international organisations to take up the issue with the Western countries and stop such incidents in the West in future.

They said the government-sponsored debate should be initiated with these governments to end islamophobia in the West and remove the misunderstanding.