Last week, two different acts of desecration of the Holy Quran occurred in Denmark and the Netherlands, which Pakistan strongly condemned as manifestations of growing hatred and Islamophobia. Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch called the recurrence of such acts troubling and questioned the efficacy of the legal framework that allows Islamophobes to incite hatred with impunity. She emphasized that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression cannot be used to deliberately denigrate holy scriptures or personalities of any religion and that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities. The spokesperson urged all states to develop legal deterrence to prevent and prosecute such acts, in line with international human rights law and called on the international human rights machinery to speak out against such intentional actions that incite hate, discrimination, and violence against Muslims.
The Foreign Office also strongly condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in both the Netherlands and Denmark, calling such hateful acts racist and Islamophobic. It reiterated that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities, and it is the responsibility of national governments and the international community to prevent such acts that provoke and incite religious hatred and violence.
Furthermore, Pakistan strongly condemned the recent raid by Israeli forces on Al-Aqsa Mosque on the third day of the holy month of Ramadan. The Foreign Office emphasized that such attacks have become a regular feature during Ramadan in recent years, violating the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief of the Palestinian people and offending the religious sentiments of over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide.
