ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has raised the issue of recent desecration of holy Quran in Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands in the 52th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva and said sentiments of two billion Muslims were hurt.
“This year alone, we have witnessed five incidents of public desecration of holy Quran in Denmark, as latest manifestation of racial hatred and xenophobia,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to UNHRC Khalil Hashmi said. He said OIC group echoes the outrage of nearly two billion people whose faith is anchored in the message of the Quran. “Let there be no compulsion in religion is the Quran’s message over a millennia before religious freedom and freedom of expression enshrined in legal instruments,” the ambassador remarked. “This act of discretion is not just provocation against the Muslims, it’s an act to sabotage the faith, harmony and peace too,” the ambassador contended. He said unequivocal condemnation should have been starting point of our response to these acts. The ambassador said some sadly choose to hide behind self serving interpretation of human rights. Hashmi said absence of preventive legal deterrence inaction and shying away from speaking out encourages further incitement to hatred and violence. The ambassador said unsurprisingly more incidents have followed. The ambassador regretted that human rights machinery’s general apathy towards these incidents is nothing less than appalling. The ambassador noted with disappointment choice made by special rapporteurs on freedom of religion and belief and freedom of expression to not call out these deliberate acts of hate. He said we reject the selective academic interpretation of human rights law.
Pakistan welcomes EU's move to remove it from high-risk countries List