‘Sanctity of Quran Day’ on Friday

PM Shehbaz appeals for holding protest across country against act of desecration

ISLAMABAD:

The nation will observe Friday as ‘Day of the Sanctity of the Holy Quran’ and to protest against the act of desecration in the Swedish capital of Stockholm on the appeal of Prime Minister Shehbaz Shairf.

According to a statement shared on the social media by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz on Tuesday chaired a meeting during which the incident in Sweden also came under discussion.

It was decided in the meeting that Friday, July 7, 2023, would be observed as Yaum-e-Taqaddus-e-Quran (Day of the Sanctity of the Holy Quran) with nationwide protest rallies against the Sweden incident.

The prime minister appealed to the entire nation, including all political parties, to participate in the protests.

“The whole nation, in one voice, will give a message to the evil minds,” the statement said. He asked the PML-N to “fully participate” in the protests.

The prime minister also decided that a joint session of parliament would be called on Thursday with the objective of devising a national plan of action on the Sweden incident.

“A joint resolution should be passed in the joint session,” the prime minister said. “The sentiments and feelings of the nation should be fully expressed through the forum of parliament. Honouring the Holy Quran is part of our faith, [and] we are all united for it.”

PM Shehbaz said, “Misguided minds are pursuing a nefarious agenda by spreading the negative trend of Islamophobia.

“Peace-loving nations and leaders, believing in co-existence should block the path of violent forces harbouring Islamophobia and religious prejudices.

“Violent minds, targeting religion, holy personalities, beliefs and ideas, are a threat to the peace of the world. Forces, who believe in interfaith harmony, must join hands to counter such trends and incidents.”UNHRC to confront Sweden incident

The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) would hold an urgent session on Pakistan’s request to address the desecration of the Holy Quran, following an incident in the Swedish capital of Stockholm, a spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Pakistan and other nations called for a discussion of “the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by recurrent desecration of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries”, spokesperson Pascal Sim said.

An Iraqi immigrant, Salwan Momika, 37, committed the Islamophobic act outside the Swedish capital’s main mosque on June 28, triggering a diplomatic backlash across the world.

The Geneva-based HRC meets for three regular sessions per year. The UN’s top rights body is currently in the second session, which runs until July 14.

The 47-member council will change its agenda to stage an urgent debate, following a request from Pakistan.

“The urgent debate will most likely be convened this week at a date and time to be determined by the bureau of the Human Rights Council,” Sim told reporters.
Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s ambassador in Geneva, wrote to the council president on Monday on behalf of the 19 members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), who are also on the council, plus other OIC countries, to request an urgent debate.

Hashmi said the “provocative acts” on June 28 had been widely condemned and strongly rejected worldwide.

“These unabated incidents demand immediate action by the Human Rights Council,” he said.

While recognising the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the OIC group wants action to prevent recurrences and the development of legal deterrence measures.

The group also intends to present a draft resolution for adoption by the council members.

Algeria, Malaysia, Qatar, Sudan, Somalia and the United Arab Emirates are among the 19 OIC countries on the 47-member Human Rights Council.

Countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Morocco have summoned Swedish ambassadors in protest.