COLOMBO : President Ranil Wickremesinghe has deplored the burning of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Sweden amidst Eid al-Adha celebrations two weeks ago, deeming it “a violation of the freedom of worship”.
On June 28, an Iraqi named Salwan Momika, who is said to be living in Sweden, set fire to a copy of Islam’s sacred text outside the central mosque in Stockholm, sparking anger among Muslims across the world.
Swedish police had initially granted permission for the protest to take place, but the demonstrator was later charged with agitation against an ethnic or national group.
In a statement,the president said it would support Pakistan’s moves to denounce this act at the UN conference in Geneva.
The Sri Lankan Head of State urged the Western nations to respect the value system of the Global South – the countries around the world that are traditionally described as developing, less developed, or underdeveloped.
He also called on the leaders of Western nations to disallow the spread of disorder under the pretense of freedom of expression.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Tuesday that the desecration of the Quran amounted to the incitement of religious hatred as the UN Human Rights Council debated a contentious motion in the wake of a Quran burning in Sweden last month.
The motion, brought by Pakistan in response to the incident in Sweden, seeks a report from the UN rights chief on the topic and calls on states to review their laws and plug gaps that may “impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred”.
It has highlighted rifts in the UN body between the West and a Muslim grouping, with western members concerned about its implications for free speech and challenges posed to long-held practices in human rights protection.
