Quran Desecration In Front of Pakistan Embassy in Denmark Sparks Condemnation From Foreign Ministry

Pakistan's Foreign Ministry has strongly protested the desecration of the Quran and dishonoring of the Pakistani flag in front of the Embassy of Pakistan in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Ministry lodged a strong protest with the Government of Denmark on Thursday.

The press release of the ministry read, "we expect the Danish authorities to take all measures necessary to stop such acts of hatred and incitement. The intent of such evil acts is to insult two billion Muslims around the world and create friction amongst communities, cultures, and countries."

The incident took place on July 26 when members of a Danish far-right anti-Islamic group, who call themselves the "Danish Patriots" desecrated a copy of the Quran in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Denmark’s capital and also stomped on Pakistan's flag.

Just a day earlier, the same group burned copies of the Quran in front of the Turkish and Egyptian embassies in Copenhagen.

Turkey and Egypt condemned the burning of Islam’s holy book, meanwhile in other Muslim-majority countries like Yemen, people took to the streets to protest. Last week over a hundred protesters in Baghdad, Iraq stormed the Swedish embassy following the burning of Islam's holy book in Stockholm and tried to reach the Danish embassy but were stopped by Iraqi security forces.

Provocative Acts of Hatred

Following the recent incident in front of the Pakistan's Embassy in Denmark, the Foreign Ministry said that such acts, by any definition, do not constitute freedom of expression. Nor can the permission to carry out provocative acts of religious hatred be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression, opinion and protest.

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The ministry also cited the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “speech and inflammatory acts against Muslims are offensive, irresponsible and wrong.”

Following the incident, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had a telephone conversation with his counterparts from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye and with the Secretary General of OIC and the UN Secretary General.

The foreign minister discussed the issues pertaining to these recurrent acts of Islamophobia as Pakistan has always maintained that "freedom of expression comes with responsibilities."

Such provocative actions by the Nordic countries are also being discussed at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah and the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Collective Voice Against Islamophobia

Following the incident, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry stressed that, "It is the responsibility of national governments, regional organizations and the international community at large to call out, condemn and proactively prevent the vile acts of Islamophobia and religious hatred. As urged by the UN Human Rights Council, the relevant countries must address, prevent and prosecute such acts of religious hatred. The international community must raise its collective voice against Islamophobia and work together to promote interfaith harmony and peaceful co-existence."

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also voiced his concerns over the recent incidents of Quran burning, saying that Pakistanis are in deep pain and distress.

"The recurring pattern of these abominable and Satanic incidents has a sinister design: to hurt interfaith relations, damage peace and harmony and promote religious hatred and Islamophobia," the PM said.

Following the Quran desecration in front of the Turkish embassy earlier in the week, Turkey condemned the “vile attacks” and asked Denmark to “prevent these outrageous acts.” Egypt summoned Sweden’s chargé d’affaires on Tuesday following the incidents but has not yet reacted to events in Denmark.

Meanwhile, Iraq reportedly expelled the Swedish ambassador last Thursday and the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Danish diplomatic mission in Baghdad had left the country following the Quran burning incidents in Denmark.

In Saudi Arabia, the Council of Ministers held its weekly session, chaired by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier in the week. During the meeting, the Saudi leadership renewed the Kingdom’s condemnation of attacks on Islamic sanctities in Sweden and Denmark.

"The Cabinet reiterated Saudi Arabia’s strong condemnation of the burnings of copies of the Quran in Sweden and Denmark, describing them as a flagrant violation of all laws and customs and in direct contradiction with international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance and moderation," according to a report from the meeting.

Although both the Swedish and Danish governments have condemned the recent Quran burnings, the incidents have increased in the two countries, as Swedish and Danish laws allow them to continue under freedom of expression and right to protest laws.

The attacks on the Quran have brought together many countries of the region on this issue. It remains unclear why these anti-Islamic groups in Europe have now decided to target Muslims and their holy book.