Spokesman Report
JEDDAH : During an emergency meeting held Sunday, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) stressed the urgent need for collective action to prevent the desecration of the Holy Quran, the holiest book of Muslims.
This call for unity comes following a painful incident in Sweden, where the holy book was burned during a protest, causing widespread outrage and concern within the global Muslim community.
The OIC, comprised countries with Muslim-majority populations, released a statement after an extraordinary meeting held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to address the incident that occurred on Wednesday.
OIC Secretary-General, Hissein Brahim Taha, emphasised the importance of reminding the international community about the necessity of adhering to international law, which explicitly prohibits promoting religious hatred.
The incident involved a man tearing up and burning the Holy Quran outside Stockholm’s central mosque on the first day of the Muslim Eid al-Azha holidays. This act has particularly outraged Turkey, an OIC member, as Sweden seeks Turkey’s support for its entry into the Nato military alliance.
Although Swedish police had granted permission for the protest, the individual liable for the burning was subsequently charged with inciting agitation against an ethnic or national group. This event has led to significant protests in Baghdad outside the Swedish Embassy and has attracted condemnation from the United States and different organisations as well.
Considering a previous incident in late January, where a Danish far-right politician burned a copy of the Holy Quran near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, Turkey had already suspended talks on Sweden’s Nato application. This recent incident in Sweden has further weakened the relationship between the two countries.