UNHR Council
The 47-member United Nations Human Rights Council today endorsed a Pakistan-backed resolution on religious hatred in the wake of the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
Main Western powers, the United States, European Union, and the United Kingdom — opposed the resolution. They claimed the resolution was against their views on human rights and freedom of expression.
Pakistan moved the motion titled “countering religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”. Pakistan filed the resolution after a man in Sweden burned pages of the holy Quran. The incident triggered a diplomatic backlash across the Muslim world.
A woman displays placard against Islamophobia after the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
About 28 countries, including China, India, South Africa, and Ukraine voted in favor of the resolution while 12 opposed it. Seven countries abstained from the voting process.
Importantly, Belgium, Costa Rica, Czechia, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monte Negro, and Romania voted against the resolution.
In the resolution, Pakistan condemned all manifestations of religious hatred, including “public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Quran.”
Afghanistan bans Sweden, Bilawal condemns incident
Afghanistan has slapped a complete ban on Sweden’s activities in the country after the incident of the desecration of the Holy Quran.
The Taliban administration ordered Sweden to stop its activities in Afghanistan after the burning of the Quran outside a mosque in the Swedish capital last month.
“After insulting the holy Quran and granting of permission for insulting of Muslim beliefs, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan stopping all activities of Sweden in Afghanistan,” said Zabiullah Mujahid. Mujahid is a spokesman for the Taliban administration.
Meanwhile, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan, condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden. He said that the incident occurred with government approval.
Recently, a migrant from Iraq to Sweden burned pages of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. It caused outrage in the Muslim world and received condemnation from Pope Francis.
