Stockholm sacrilege

Silence against Islamophobic acts stands in stark contradiction to basic principle of respect for religious sentiments

Extremism and acts of sacrilege are condemnable. There is a universal acknowledgment that religious sentiments of none should be hurt or ridiculed. Thus, acts of Islamophobia unfortunately being witnessed come as a grim reminder that acceptable rules of civilisational norms are not being followed, and there is something wrong with the psyche of a few who go on to bring a bad name to the entire community through their horrendous acts of radicalism. So was the case in Sweden last week as a berserk and deranged fellow, imbibed with hate and bias went on to tore a copy of the Holy Quran in Sweden, and later burnt it into ashes. This highly condemnable act is in need of being protested, and made clear that such a tendency is unacceptable, and the only way to prosecute such people is to stand with International Law for the greater emancipation of a civil society.

The intergovernmental organisation of 57 countries, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was on the mark as it called for collective measures to prevent such acts of desecration of not only the Holy Script but also the International Law. In an extraordinary meeting held at Jeddah to protest the Stockholm incident, it categorically said: “We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of International Law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred.” There cannot be any two opinions over it.

While the Western society and its respective governments have been quick in condemning the act of a retarded individual, it comes as a strength in inter-faith harmony. Of late, acts of Islamophobia and Muslim-bashing are gathering momentum, and this aspect is detrimental to peace and security. There is no point in canvassing or looking for an excuse under the garb of ‘democracy’ or ‘freedom of expression,’ as such acts of intolerance cannot be condoned. Looking the other way round would tantamount to appeasing the maniac. The Stockholm act was not committed in isolation, as there is a mindset all over, and that is so because Islam, the religion of Peace, has not been understood properly.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 4^th, 2023.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.