Pakistan calls for nationwide protest over Qur’an desecration in Sweden

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for nationwide protests, a week after a man burnt a copy of the Muslim holy book after receiving the greenlight from Swedish authorities. 

Pakistan will observe the upcoming Friday as “Yaum-i-Taqaddus Qur’an” (Day of the Sanctity of the Holy Qur’an) and will convene a joint parliamentary session a day earlier, according to local media reports. 

The decision was made during a recent meeting presided over by Sharif to discuss the problem of repeated desecration of the holy Qur’an in Sweden and some other Western countries.

It was decided that nationwide protest rallies would be held to condemn the sacrilegious act.

According to a statement shared on social media by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Sharif urged the Pakistani people, including all political parties, to join the protest.

“The whole nation, in one voice, will give a message to the evil minds,” the statement said.

The prime minister also decided that a joint session of parliament would be called on Thursday with the objective of devising a national plan of action on the Sweden incident.

Sweden reaches out to OIC members with 'regret' over Qur'an desecration: Iraq

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry says the Swedish government has expressed “deep regret” over a Quran burning outside a Stockholm mosque.

“A joint resolution should be passed in the joint session,” the prime minister said. “The sentiments and feelings of the nation should be fully expressed through the forum of parliament. Honoring the Holy Qur’an is part of our faith, [and] we are all united for it.”

Sharif stated that Muslims are united by their belief in the sacredness of the Holy Qur’an. "Errant minds," according to the prime Minister, "were devising a sinister plan to fan the flames of Islamophobia." The Pakistani premier also stated that countries and leaders who believe in coexistence must contain violent forces infested with Islamophobia. 

This comes as thousands of people have staged a series of protest rallies in Muslim-majority countries on an almost daily basis to voice outrage over the torching of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden last week.

Pakistanis in the capital Islamabad and several other major cities on Monday held rallies to vent anger at the recent desecration of the holy Qur’an in Sweden.  

Thousands marched toward the Swedish embassy in Islamabad, with placards in their hands reading “Boycott Sweden”. They demanded that the government sever ties with Stockholm and expel its ambassador.

They also urged the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to act against blasphemy and focus on promoting unity among Muslim countries.

Protesters also gathered in the cities of Peshawar and Muzaffarabad to condemn the burning of the Qur’an in Stockholm and the official authorization of the blasphemous act.

Last Wednesday, a man tore up the pages and burn a copy of the holy book outside Stockholm’s central mosque.

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