By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis staged nationwide protests on Friday against the burning of the Quran in Sweden, demanding the expulsion of the Swedish envoy and a boycott of Swedish goods, as the government declared a day of reverence for the Muslim holy book.
A man set fire to a copy of the Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm last week, sparking outrage among Muslims and condemnation from the European Union, Pope Francis and the Swedish government.
The incident also prompted Pakistan to call for an urgent debate at the United Nations Human Rights Council on rising Islamophobia, which it will lead on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) group on July 11.
In Islamabad, hundreds of protesters burned Swedish flags and chanted “The Holy Quran is our red line” at a market, while others trampled on modified Swedish flags that read “#Boycott Sweden” and featured a crossed-out image of Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
“We demand that the Pakistani government expel the Swedish ambassador and cut off diplomatic ties with Sweden until they apologise for this heinous act and punish the culprit,” said Mohammad Iqbal, a leader of the hardline Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) party, which organised the rally.
Similar protests were held in Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and other cities, where demonstrators carried placards and banners denouncing Sweden and its leaders. Some also called for a meeting of the OIC to discuss the issue.
The Swedish foreign ministry has previously said it condemned any act of violence or disrespect towards religious communities.
A joint session of Pakistan’s parliament passed a resolution this week urging Sweden to take “appropriate steps” against the perpetrators.
Pakistan has strict blasphemy laws that can carry the death penalty for insulting Islam or its prophet. The country has also been vocal in criticising cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammad in France and Denmark in recent years.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the nation to protest against the burning of the Quran, calling it a “blatant provocation” to undermine Islam.
“When it comes to the matter of Quran, the nation is united. The entire Muslim Ummah is disturbed by the incident in Sweden,” Sharif said in a tweet.
“The Holy Quran is in our hearts. The Holy Quran is not only a recitation for us but a guideline for living.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took to Twitter, noting that the desecration was “another example of the rising Islamophobic mindset that seeks to dehumanise and denigrate our faith”.
He said Pakistan will be raising the issue at the UNHRC debate on behalf of the OIC group.
Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman voiced similar concerns, saying that the incident “not just dehumanises our religion but also deliberately seeks to provoke Muslim sentiment”.
PM Sharif also spoke with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and appreciated his role in articulating the Muslim Ummah’s concerns and demands about Islamophobic trends and incidents.
He urged Taha to chalk out a coordinated and comprehensive strategy aimed at raising global awareness about its perspective apart from building legal and political deterrence against rising incidents of anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia.
Sharif stressed that the vilification of religion, revered religious personalities, holy scriptures and symbols could not be condoned on the self-serving pretext of freedom of expression and protest.
Taha reaffirmed the OIC’s firm commitment to tackle the contemporary scourge of Islamophobia. He also lauded Pakistan’s leading role in OIC deliberations in general and on this issue in particular.
The Pakistani foreign office said it had raised the matter with the Swedish envoy to Islamabad.
“Like in the past we have raised our concerns on this incident with the Swedish authorities,” FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly press briefing.
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) also said this week it had decided to hold an “urgent” session to discuss desecration of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden after Pakistan requested it on behalf of several member countries of the OIC.
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