OIC condemns “despicable” aggression on Qur’an, official permission for desecration

Participants expressed concern over the increasing intolerance, discrimination and acts of violence against Muslims across the globe, reported Taqrib News Agency (TNA).

The member states called on the Secretary-General to send a letter on behalf of the OIC members to the Swedish government and consider an official visit to Stockholm and the European Union Commission to express the condemnation of the Qur’an desecration incident calling them to take necessary measures to prevent recurrence of the criminal act.

Participants also denounced all attempts to denigrate the Islamic sanctities under the garb of freedom of expression.

OIC called on the Muslim civil society organizations to work with their counterparts in those countries where Islamophobic attacks against the copies of holy Qur’an and other Islamic sanctities take place to resort to local courts.

It called upon the General Secretariat to expedite the implementation of the ‘Plan of Action for Combating Islamophobia’ adopted by Ministers of OIC States Members of the Contact Group on Peace and Dialogue on the sidelines of the UNGA 74th Session in New York.

The final communique referred to the UN Human Rights Council Resolution to take measures to criminalize acts of racist and xenophobic nature, such as Islamophobia.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued the final communique at the end of its extraordinary meeting held in Saudi Arabia at the request of the member states to discuss the recent desecration of Qur’an in Sweden.

Protected by Sweden police and authorized by officials, a man tore pages of the holy Qur’an and set the book on fire in the capital Stockholm.

The move has angered Muslims across the globe calling their governments to sever ties with the Swedish government.