Bilawal calls for world unity against hate

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Tuesday that the desecration of the Holy Quran amounted to incitement of religious hatred and called upon the world to stand united against intolerance and promote mutual respect, understanding, and tolerance.

Addressing the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) via a video link, Bilawal stressed the hate speech and free speech must be segregated as free speech was “indispensable” and hate speech was “indefensible”.

UNHRC went into an urgent session to debate “public acts of incitement to religious hatred in European and other countries”. The debate came on Pakistan’s request in the wake of Islamophobic act in Sweden last month.

“We must see this clearly for what it is: incitement to religious hatred, discrimination and attempts to provoke violence,” Bilawal told the Geneva-based council, saying that such acts occurred under “government sanction and with the sense of impunity”.

The motion, brought by Pakistan seeks a report from the UN rights chief on the topic and calls on states to review their laws and plug gaps that might "impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred".

“The Holy Quran is a spiritual anchor for two billion Muslims. It is inseparable from their sense of identity and dignity,” Bilawal said. “It is important to understand the deep hurt that a public and premeditated act of desecration causes to Muslims.”

About the Swedish incident, the foreign minister said that it was an attack on the Muslims’ faith. “We must see this clearly for what it is: incitement to religious hatred, discrimination and attempts to provoke violence,” he added.

The foreign minister recalled that three months ago, for first time ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia’ was observed and the first ever session was held to mark the occasion at the UN General Assembly.

“We must join hands in condemning it, we must isolate those who stoke hatred,” he said. “There is not a single Muslim country on the planet that allows the desecration of the holy text of other religions,” he said, adding such an act was unthinkable to the Muslims.

Bilawal’s remarks were echoed by ministers from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia with the latter calling it an act of Islamophobia. “Stop abusing freedom of expression,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told the session. “Silence means complicity.”

Participating in the debate, some Western countries also condemned the Islamophobic act in Stockholm during Eidul Azha celebrations. Germany's ambassador Katharina Stasch called the incident a "dreadful provocation" and condemned it.

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk told the council that inflammatory acts against Muslims, as well as other religions or minorities, are "offensive, irresponsible and wrong".

Diplomats said intense negotiations had not led to a breakthrough on Tuesday and expect a vote. Such a vote would almost certainly pass since OIC countries make up 19 members of the 47-member body and also have support from China and others.