New York (UNA-OIC) – In their communiqué issued yesterday, the OIC Group of UN Permanent Representatives in New York strongly condemned the recent abhorrent act of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands.
“This vile act is yet another manifestation of the alarming level of the Islamophobic, racist, discriminatory trends spreading across the globe. Such senseless and provocative acts not only trigger widespread anguish among 1.5 billion Muslims but also denigrate their religious sensitivities,” the group said.
“Such heinous acts are in violation of international human rights law and cannot be justified under the guise of the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression or opinion. The ICCPR clearly stipulates in article 19 that this right “carries with it special duties and responsibilities”. This includes the obligation not to carry out acts of hate, including hate speech, and not to incite people to violence.”
It stressed that ensuring respect for religious beliefs of others is a collective responsibility and is critical for global peace and prosperity. It is imperative that actions are taken to counter Islamophobic acts, committed wherever, whenever and by whomsoever.
The OIC Group reiterates its call for the perpetrators of this hate crime to be brought to justice. Indeed, States have the obligation to prohibit by law “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.
The international community also needs to show a common resolve
against Islamophobia, xenophobia, intolerance and incitement to violence on the basis of religion or belief, and make collective international efforts to prevent re-occurrence of such acts and for solidarity to combat Islamophobia.
