AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian underlined that any insult to the sanctities of religions should be regarded as
Amirabdollahian made the remarks addressing the extraordinary foreign ministerial meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held via video conference on Monday.
He deep regretted that some people insult beliefs and values under the pretext of supporting the right to freedom of speech and are officially backed by certain European governments.
“We firmly believe that preventing any repetition of insults to religions, including Islam, is in the best interest of everyone,” the Iranian foreign minister said.
He pointed out that the recent bitter events in Sweden and Denmark call for a collective responsibility on the part of Islamic countries to exert pressure on European governments to swiftly put an end to such provocative actions and hold the perpetrators accountable and punish them within the framework of the law.
Amirabdollahian, meantime, proposed dispatching an OIC delegation to Sweden and Denmark to meet with their respective authorities to express the deep concern and sensitivity of Islamic governments and Muslim community regarding the recent offensive actions and demand "severe punishment" for those engaged in hate-mongering and anti-Islam activities.
The Iranian foreign minister urged the OIC's jurisprudential agency and legal arm to urgently address the crucial issue with the aim of devising strategies to criminalize such sacrilegious acts at national, regional, and international levels both in real and virtual space.
He emphasized that the Islamic governments and the Muslim community, in case of any repetition of such moves in any of those countries, will undoubtedly have no option other than reducing the level of diplomatic relations or even severing diplomatic ties and imposing sanctions against the country in question.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an emergency meeting with the participation of foreign ministers from member countries to address recent acts of desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden and Denmark.
Hissein Brahim Taha, the secretary-general of the OIC, expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia and Iran for convening the emergency meeting on Monday to collectively address the incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran.
He further lamented that the governments of Denmark and Sweden have allowed such sacrilegious acts to persist, expressing sorrow over their continued permission for Quran burnings.
Addressing the virtual conference, Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, voiced strong condemnation for the incidents of Quran burning.
“We denounce all instances of Quran burning and call upon all member countries to take significant measures in confronting such offenses and disrespect towards the Holy Quran,” he was quoted by Al Jazeera.
In recent years, certain European countries, particularly in Scandinavia, have witnessed instances of desecration and disrespect towards Muslim sanctities, often with the approval of authorities.
More acts of sacrilege against the Holy Quran happened in Sweden and Denmark on Monday amid growing outrage in the Muslim world.
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