Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha has condemned in the strongest terms the burning by an extremist group of a copy of the Holy Quran in front of the Iraqi Embassy in the Danish capital, Copenhagen.
In a statement on Sunday, Taha expressed deep dissatisfaction with the repeated incidents of transgression against Islamic sanctities, which constitute incitement to religious hatred, intolerance and discrimination, warning of their dangerous consequences.
He urged the Danish government to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such provocative acts and avoid their repercussions, pointing out that the right to freedom of expression and opinion entailed responsibilities under international law, which clearly prohibited any incitement to religious hatred, intolerance and discrimination.
He recalled the provisions of the Final Communique issued by the OIC Executive Committee at its extraordinary meeting, held on Jul. 2, 2023, which stipulated that such provocations were contrary to the spirit of Articles (19) and (20) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and could not be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression or opinion, underlining that the provisions of the resolution on “combating religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”, recently adopted by the UN Human Rights Council.
Source: Qatar News Agency