EU, UN slam desecration of Holy Quran, OIC calls emergency meeting

EU, UN slam desecration of Holy Quran, OIC calls emergency meeting

Jeddah (Web Desk): The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has called an emergency meeting of its executive committee on the issue of the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.

According to the Saudi Press Agency, an emergency meeting will be held in the OIC’s headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The session will discuss the consequences of the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran.

In a statement, the OIC said the committee will hold a consultation over the measures to be taken against the heinous act. A collective stand will be adopted on the necessary measures, the OIC spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the European Union and the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) slammed the act of desecrating the Holy Quran.

The EU, in a statement, said the desecration of the Holy Quran is an offensive act. This act in no way reflects the opinions of the European Union, it stressed.

Burning the Holy Quran or any other Holy book is offensive and disrespectful and a clear act of provocation.

An Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, Wednesday stomped on the holy book and set several pages alight in front of the capital’s largest mosque, that too on the first day of Eid ul Adha.

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

Reacting to the “despicable act” of the public desecration of a copy of the Holy Quran, the Swedish government had on Saturday strongly condemned the act committed by individuals in the country.

In a statement, Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: “This act in no way reflects the opinions of the Swedish government.”