Senate condemns Islamophobia in Europe

ISLAMABAD:

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 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 Netherlands for allowing extremist elements to carry out this heinous crime in the garb of freedom of expression, warning the West that such acts sowed the seed of terrorism and extremism in the Muslim countries.

“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,” the resolution said.

“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 civilisations.”

Speaking on the resolution, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had issued special instructions to him to tell the house that the government was aware of this matter and such incidents would not be tolerated. “We condemn the desecration of the Holy Quran in Europe.”

The senators strongly condemned the Islamophobic act in Sweden the Netherlands, saying that the incident was a serious violation of human rights. They believed that Muslim countries should unite and take a strong stand on this issue because incidents like these were a conspiracy against Muslims.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that the sacrilegious act in Sweden was related to Islamophobia, adding that Islamophobia is not only restricted to Sweden and the Netherlands, rather such events had also occurred in other European countries.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senator accused the European countries of having double standards. “They send people to jail for talking about the Holocaust, and do not invoke freedom of expression in those cases,” he added.

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) called for protesting against this heinous act, urging the lawmakers to be a part of it. “The OIC [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation] has condemned this incident, it is a violation of human rights, Pakistan has condemned this incident,” he said.

Senator Mushtaq Ahmad said that the incident in Sweden was an attack on one and a half billion Muslims. “I condemn the moves in the Netherlands and Sweden. Muslim countries should unite and take a strong stand on this issue,” he said.

Condemning the incident, Senator Anwarul Haq Kakar pointed out that Islamophobia was taking a dangerous shape in modern times. The ambassadors of Sweden and the Netherlands should be conveyed the sentiments of the house through a letter, he added.

Senator Maulana Faiz Muhammad said that incidents like the one that happened in Sweden were conspiracies against Muslims. He pointed out that Islam gave rights to all beings, and wondered whether such a religion would teach terrorism. He called for boycotting Sweden and Netherlands.

Senator Faisal Javed reminded that previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government raised the issue of Islamophobia at the United Nations and the global body had declared a day against Islamophobia. “On this issue, we have to take united.”

The PTI senator pointed out that even the non-Muslim countries had condemned this incident. “Russia had stated that insulting the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) is not freedom of expression,” he added. “This point has to be explained to western countries.”

Senator Kamran Michael said: "On behalf of the minorities, including the Christians, I condemn this horrible incident. A handful of miscreants cannot be allowed to play with anyone's sentiments under the guise of freedom of expression and human rights,” he said.

Senator Saadia Abbasi said that a resolution against the incident should be passed in the house and sent to those embassies. She added that it was a crime against humanity, and Muslim countries should show unity and solidarity.

Senator Fida Muhammad said that such incidents were “a test for us”. He demanded apology from the countries were such incidents took place. Until an apology was extended, he added, diplomatic relations should not be restored and official delegations should not visit these countries.

Strongly condemning the incident in Sweden, Senator Gurdeep Singh said: “There is a conspiracy against Muslims, the Swedish government should bring the perpetrators of such incidents to court and punish them,” he said.

Senator Dinesh Kumar said that Muslims were being hurt through such incidents in Sweden and the Netherlands. “As a non-Muslim, I want to convey the message that our Muslim brothers can tolerate everything, but they cannot tolerate blasphemy,” he added.

Senator Khalida Ateeb said called for unity among the Muslims in the wake of such incidents. “We as Muslims need to unite and take action, call the ambassadors of Sweden and the Netherlands and protest them,” she said.

Senator Tahir Bizenjo said that respect for all religions was necessary for a peaceful world, adding that freedom of expression has some limits. He added that the European Union (EU) was a forum where Pakistan could record its protest strongly.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)