Pakistan

Pakistan welcomes Danish govt’s proposal of bill outlawing Holy Quran desecration

FO hopes other countries will emulate and undertake 'similar steps' to outlaw such hateful acts

News Desk August 26, 2023

Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.—PHOTO: RADIO PAKISTAN/FILE

Pakistan on Saturday welcome a decision by the Danish government to propose a bill outlawing the burning of the Holy Quran and other sacred texts.

The Foreign Office said that it was a "step in the right direction”.

"Pakistan has always maintained that desecration and burning of holy scriptures constitute a serious act of religious hatred, which must not be permitted under the guise of freedom of expression, opinion and protest. As stipulated by international human rights law and called for by the UN Human Rights Council, such provocative acts must be prevented and prohibited through legal means," said the FO in a statement.

Islamabad also hoped that the steps taken by the Danish government "would culminate in effective legislation to curb the desecration of the Holy Quran and other divine books".

Read: Denmark to ban Holy Quran burnings

The statement further added that it is hoped other countries will emulate and undertake "similar steps" to outlaw such hateful acts.

In his interaction with the Danish Foreign Minister, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani, while appreciating the Danish Government’s proposed legislation, expressed the hope that the bill, when passed, would create interfaith harmony and bring an end to an environment of hatred amongst people of different religious faiths, said the FO.

Denmark on Friday said it plans to ban Holy Quran burnings after a string of desecrations of Islam's holy book in the Scandinavian nation sparked anger in Muslim countries.

Denmark stepped up security earlier this month following the backlash, as did neighbouring Sweden which has also seen a spate of Holy Quran burnings in recent months.

The Danish government intends to "criminalise the improper treatment of objects of significant religious importance to a religious community," Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard told reporters.