ISLAMABAD: Iranian Ambassador Reza Amiri-Moghaddam has strongly denounced the increasing incidents of disrespect for the sacredness of religious symbols, particularly in European countries.
He raised this concern during an event titled ‘Honoring the Holy Quran from the Perspective of Religions and Sects,’ which was organized by the Iranian Cultural Consulate in collaboration with Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen at a local hotel in the federal capital.
Iranian Ambassador highlighted the contradiction between advocating for human rights and violating religious sanctity. He said that the disturbing trend of desecrating the Holy Quran was reported more than six times in the past six months.
Reza Amiri-Moghaddam lauded the event organizers that brought together scholars and devotees from diverse religious and sectarian backgrounds, including Shia, Sunni, Christian, Sikh, and Hindu, uniting them for a common purpose of honoring and revering the Holy Quran from a multi-religious perspective.
The Ambassador expressed his deep concern about recent incidents in European countries that displayed disrespect for the sanctity of the Holy Quran. He specifically mentioned the Swedish government allowing such disrespect under the guise of freedom of expression, which he considered a perilous precedent. He expressed disappointment over the lack of preventive actions and raised apprehensions about potential future incidents.
Iranian Ambassador Calls for Protection of Religious Sanctity
Ambassador Amiri-Moghaddam underscored that the desecration of the Holy Quran was not solely a religious issue but also an affront to all divine scriptures from various faiths. He noted that religious leaders worldwide, including those in Islamic countries, had condemned such behavior. He emphasized the significance of this issue in the context of the United Nations Charter and principles of mutual coexistence.
He drew attention to the violation of international law that prohibits the propagation of religious hatred and stressed the contradiction between these actions and international agreements and human rights principles. He characterized the act of disrespecting the Holy Quran as emblematic of an agenda seeking to sow discord among Islamic nations.
Expressing concerns about the silence of European nations on such matters within their borders, he questioned their commitment to protecting religious sanctity while upholding freedom of expression. He called upon scholars to promote positive discourse and create an environment where all religions could effectively counteract the trend of disrespect. He underscored the importance of national and international actions to prevent the recurrence of such acts.
In the end, the Iranian Ambassador commended Pakistan’s commitment to safeguarding religious symbols and praised its campaign to honor the Holy Quran and preserve religious sanctity.
