Nation protests against Holy Quran's desecration in Sweden

Millions of people on Friday rallied in streets across the country, condemning the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden, as the nation observed ‘Youm-e-Taqaddus-e-Quran’ (Quran Sanctity Day).

The call for observing the day was given by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week. Several rallies and demonstrations were taken out across the country after Friday prayers. Swedish flags were burned at these rallies across the country.

Several political parties as well as civil society organisations organised the protests. The participants came from all walks of life, including political activists, business owners, employees, shopkeepers, teachers, lawyers etc.

Scholars condemned the Sweden incident in their Friday sermons. "The entire Islamic world should cut diplomatic ties with Sweden and put economic pressure on Sweden by boycotting its products," Sheikh Tahir said in a sermon at an Islamabad mosque.

On the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) organised a rally. The SCBA also submitted a condemnation resolution at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
 

The Christian community of Pakistan also actively participated in the protest. The Christian community and their religious leaders in different cities of the country registered their protest against the Sweden incident.

In Karachi, traders closed their businesses for two hours after Friday prayers. A protest rally was taken out from Memon Masjid till Tower on behalf of the All Karachi Trade Union, in which the participants raised slogans against the Swedish government.

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Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi Amir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman addressed a protest of the minority community at the Karachi Press Club. Cardinal Joseph Coates, Yunus Sohn Advocate and others participated in it.

About 3,000 supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) marched for kilometres, with some beating effigies draped in Swedish flags. About 5,000 more TLP members rallied in one of a dozen protests held in Lahore.
 

Addressing a rally in Lahore, JI’s Ziauddin Ansari urged the government to call a meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and to expel the Swedish envoy from the country. He also asked participants to boycott Swedish products.

Political parties, including the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), and others staged more than 200 protests across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Several rallies were brought out in Balochistan. At separate rallies in Chagai and Dera Bugti, the protesters carried placards and chanted slogans. The leaders said the intention behind the Sweden act was to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims across the globe.

Read More Pakistan strongly condemns desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden

Apart from the federal and provincial capitals, protest rallies were brought out in other small and big cities of the country, where people came out for a peaceful demonstration against the Sweden incident and recorded a protest.
Last week, a man had desecrated the Holy Quran in Sweden’s capital Stockholm, resulting in strong condemnation from several Muslim states, the OIC, the European Union, Pope Francis and the Swedish government, among others.