The Senate of Pakistan adopted a unanimous resolution on Friday to condemn the vile act of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands, which has hurt the religious sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims around the globe.
The upper house of Parliament strongly protested against the governments of Sweden and the Netherlands for allowing extremist elements to carry out this heinous crime in the garb of freedom of expression.
The Senate termed this disgraceful incident of Islamophobia as hateful and contrary to the principles of international law laid down in several instruments, including the UNGA Resolution no. 36/35 of 25th November 1981, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the European Court of Human Rights and European Guidelines on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the UNGA Resolution 56/6 of 9th November 2001 on the Global Agenda for Dialogue among Civilizations, Resolution of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights 2005/40, and others.
According to the resolution, the Senate stands for upholding the universal principles highlighted above and expresses the collective will of the state and people of Pakistan against the act of desecration of the Holy Quran by racists and extremists.
It said that this vicious crime was a calculated and deliberate attempt to harm interfaith harmony, social peace, and religious tolerance, and ultimately will prove to be divisive for peace and stability amongst countries, cultures, and civilizations.
The Senate urged Muslims to maintain their calm and composure refuse to be intimidated by hate-mongering Islamophobes, and promote Islam’s message of peace, tolerance, and universal brotherhood.
It also called upon the government to initiate prompt action on the following lines such as; summoning the ambassador of Sweden and Netherlands and conveying the strong sentiments, and shock and anger felt by the people of Pakistan against the desecration of the Holy Quran.
It also emphasized Sweden and Netherlands for firm lawful action against those who desecrated the Holy Quran.
It also proposed that the government contact, coordinate, and cooperate among the members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to take a unified position on this issue, which is central to the core beliefs of all Muslims.
The Senate further asked to take up this highly important and urgent issue before the upcoming session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, which is meeting in Geneva next week.
