ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: President Dr. Arif Alvi has strongly condemned the abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden which, he said, has insulted the holy scripture of Islam and hurt the feelings of the billions of Muslims under the guise of freedom of expression.
In a statement on Monday, the president termed the act as senseless, provocative and Islamophobic which has hurt the religious sensitivities of Muslims around the world.
The president said that this immoral incident was an act of needless incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of Muslims in the world, was against the internationally accepted norms and principles of legitimate expression of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, which obliged everyone to not resort to hate speech and incite people to violence.
The President Arif Alvi said that Islam preached respect and reverence for all religions of the world whereas this heinous act has hurt Muslims by insulting their sacred values, and reflected the alarming levels of Islamophobia.
The president urged the international community to show a common resolve against Islamophobia, and underlined the need for international efforts to consolidate the values of tolerance and coexistence and criminalize all acts that promote the ideology of hatred and not allow extremist and radical elements to spread hatred against Islamic sanctities and values.
