A 32-year-old man has abandoned his plans to desecrate the holy books, the Torah and the Bible, after Israel’s protest over the Swedish authorities’ decision to allow it under freedom of expression, according to international media. The decision comes after a man burned a copy of the Holy Quran in the Swedish capital.
The aim was “not to burn the holy books” but to criticise the people who have desecrated Qurans in Sweden in recent months, demonstration organiser Ahmad A told media as he held a holy book in his hand.
Pakistan and Israel have condemned the permission for public desecration of the Torah and the Bible in Sweden.
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“Pakistan condemns the permission for public desecration of the Torah and Bible in Sweden,” said the Foreign Office on Saturday. “Offensive acts of religious hatred cannot be condoned in the guise of freedom of expression and opinion.”
Swedish police granted a permit on Friday for a protest which was to include the desecration of burning holy texts outside the Israeli embassy in Stockholm. Resultantly, the decision sparked condemnation from Israel and Jewish organisations.
The demonstration was supposed to include the desecration of the Torah and the Bible and would be an expression in support of freedom of speech, according to the application to police.
The controversial protest was scheduled for today (Saturday)
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The protestor explained that his intention was in fact to “denounce those who desecrated holy books” such as the Quran in the Nordic country.
This comes weeks after a man desecrated Holy Quran outside the Swedish capital Stockholm’s main mosque. It led to widespread protests and condemnations around the world.
As a religion of peace, Pakistan’s FO said: “Islam calls for respect for all religions, sacred personalities and holy scriptures.”
In line with this Islamic ethos, it added that Pakistan has always stressed the need for advanced mutual respect, harmony and peaceful coexistence among religions, faiths, and cultures.
“We call on the international community to condemn, with one voice, all such abhorrent acts of religious hatred, which hurt the sentiments of its followers and constitute deliberate incitement,” said the FO.
The Israeli president and prime minister also condemned the Swedish authorities’ decision.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog was ‘heartbroken’ to see that the same fate awaited the other holy books after the desecration of the Quran.
“As the President of Israel, I condemned the burning of the Quran, sacred to Muslims world over, and I am now heartbroken that the same fate awaits a Jewish Bible, the eternal book of the Jewish people,” he tweeted.
Herzog added that permitting the defacement of sacred texts was not an exercise in freedom of expression. “It is blatant incitement and an act of pure hate,” he said demanded the whole world to them in condemning unequivocally the “repulsive” act.
“The state of Israel takes very seriously this shameful decision that damages the Holy of Holies of the Jewish people,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted on Friday. “The sacred books of all religions must be respected.”
“This is a response to the people who burn the Koran. I want to show that freedom of expression has limits that must be taken into account,” Ahmad A, the organiser of the demonstration, said.
“I want to show that we have to respect each other, we live in the same society. If I burn the Torah, another the Bible, another the Quran, there will be war here. What I wanted to show is that it’s not right to do it,” explained the Swedish resident of Syrian origin.
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Although the Swedish police pointed out that permission to demonstrate was not a formal authorisation to burn a sacred book, there is no law prohibiting the burning of holy books.
But the police can refuse to allow a demonstration if it jeopardises security or gives rise to acts or words that incite racial hatred.
(With input from AFP)
