Pakistan Urges Criminalization of Acts of Sacrilege
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The foreign minister of Pakistan called for a plan devised by Islamic countries to criminalize sacrilegious moves in the wake of global Muslim outrage over the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.
In a telephone conversation on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.
The two senior diplomats stressed that freedom of speech must not affect other freedoms and that such acts are at odds with human dignity and human rights.
The Iranian foreign minister abhorred the insult to Quran in Sweden and Denmark, saying these acts have hurt the feelings of nearly two billion Muslims around the world.
He further spoke about his recent talks with the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation during which it was proposed that the OIC hold an emergency session of its members’ foreign ministers, the Foreign Ministry’s website reported.
Amirabdollahian underlined the need to send a strong message from the Muslim countries over the issue.
The Pakistani foreign minister, for his part, referred to his attendance at the UN Human Rights Council meeting after which a resolution was issued. Zardari agreed on the proposal of the Iranian foreign minister for any cooperation.
He noted that in order to fight back against such sacrilegious acts, it is necessary for the Muslim countries to consider criminalizing them and approve laws to this end.
