Turkey and Pakistan Urge World to Confront Anti-Muslim Hatred at UN Human Rights Council Session

Illustration of the UN Human Rights Council. (Wikimedia Commons/UNCTAD)

JAKARTA - Turkey and Pakistan call on the world to take action to prevent anti-Muslim acts, including the desecration of the Koran, at the United Nations Human Rights Council session.

Addressing the urgent session on Acts of Religious Hate at the UN Human Rights Council via video message, Turkey's Deputy Foreign Minister Yasin Ekrem Serim said, "We strongly condemn the recent public burning of the Holy Quran, which is a clear manifestation of the growing religious hatred".

He emphasized that any form of insulting any holy book is contrary to the principles of tolerance, social peace, and respect for human dignity.

"Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of society, but it cannot be abused to spread hate. It is unacceptable to permit this act on the basis of freedom of expression. We call on all authorities to take the necessary measures against the perpetrators of these acts and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents," he said, cited from Daily Sabah, July 12.

"Turkey, with a Muslim majority population and as a member and partner of all Western organizations such as the European Council, NATO as well as the EU candidates, will continue to support initiatives against anti-Islamic sentiments," Serim added.

Reaffirming Turkey's commitment to fighting hatred and discrimination, Serim expressed Ankara's willingness to cooperate with all countries at the bilateral and multilateral levels to address these issues.

"We call on all countries to support this resolution to deliver a clear united message against acts of hatred that threaten not only Muslims, but all of humanity," he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan urged the world to unite against waves of Islamophobia and religious hatred, including incidents such as the burning of the Islamic holy book Al-Quran in Sweden.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who also spoke virtually at the same time, called on the global community to "unite against hate, discrimination, intolerance and promote mutual respect, understanding and tolerance," Pakistan State Television reported.

Islamabad's top diplomat refers to the burning of the Koran in Sweden, which hides behind freedom of attitude and expression. Recently, Sweden considered banning such a thing from happening again, with some of its people agreeing to ban the burning of the Koran in a poll.

"We must see this as incitement to hatred, discrimination and an attempt to provoke violence. We must join hands to condemn it, we must isolate those who spread hatred," Zardari said.

"The Koran is the spiritual anchor for two billion Muslims. It is important to understand the deep wounds inflicted by public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Koran on Muslims," ​​he stressed.

Dubbing the Swedish incident an attack on the Muslim faith, Zardari said hate and free speech must be separated, because freedom of speech "is absolutely necessary, but hate speech cannot be sustained."

He added that Muslim countries do not allow desecration of other religions' holy texts and such an act is unthinkable for any Muslim.