It has not been two years since French weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo published insulting cartoons of holy Prophet of Islam that certain Westerners resort to “freedom of speech” to violate rights of millions of Muslims.
Rasmus Paludan, a Danish far-right politician who possesses Swedish nationality, programmed a Quran-burning gathering in cooperation of Swedish police on April 14 in Sweden’s city of Linköping, where is a Muslim-populated area.
The anti-Islam politician repeated the sacrilege on Friday, which fanned the flame of international protests and condemnations.
Sweden’s police and government did not show any serious reaction to such a blasphemy, which amounts to violation of human rights and ignorance to freedom of others.
According to Sweden’s laws, freedom of speech, freedom of information, freedom of gatherings, freedom of protests, freedom of organization and freedom of religion are among the six freedoms linked with freedom of thought, but freedom of religion is only free from any condition, while other freedoms are limited by existing regulations.
Definitions of freedom of speech in international documents do not imply any justification for desecration or scorn of other beliefs, because freedom of speech is applicable to the extent that cannot threaten other rights.
--Reactions to Desecration to Quran
Michael Sebastian Abbasi, director of Center for Muslim Relations in Denmark, accused Paludan to provoking riot against Muslims, criticizing Swedish police for allowing the politician to commit such an act.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that intentional repetition of insulting acts in Sweden during the holy month of Ramadan has hurt sentiments of Muslims in the European country and throughout the globe. The spokesman added that Muslims are waiting for instant, clear and harsh response to elements who committed such desecration.
Other Islamic nations, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Indonesia, Iraq and so on categorically slammed desecration of holy Quran.
--Western Double Standard
Western states attempt to justify the Islamophoic acts by the use of “freedom of speech” in a blatant move, which proves the West’s heedlessness to rights and regulations envisioned in international documents.
The double standard in Western states indicates that the Westerners give importance to freedom only for their citizens and exclude migrants from the rights.
Hassan Nafaa, an Egyptian writer and professor of political science at Cairo University, said that officials in Western states evade responsibility when it comes to make decision or issue a statement against sacrileges committed in their countries; nevertheless, they should be asked why they oppose freedom of speech when it comes to Holocaust and issues related to Israel?
It is worth mentioning that Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei questioned the West’s so-called freedom of speech, which does not allow any scientific investigation into the topic of Holocaust, while the Westerners allow themselves to insult sanctities of other religions.
--The Need for Legal Action
According to Turkish Anadolu Agency, although the West pretends that there is no redline for freedom of speech and no limit for spiritual values, the Western states show double standard, because there is no report of insulting provocations against Christian and Jewish sanctities, while they apply freedom of speech as a tool to insult Islamic values.
The continuation of Islamophobic acts by far-right politicians in Europe has its root in Muslim nations’ weakness in dealing with such incidents.
The Islamic world is expected to find a way to cooperate with legal organizations in Europe to push relevant European entities such as the European Court of Human Rights to react to sacrilege as a crime.
Such blatant desecrations, including burning and tearing apart the holiest book in Islam, as well as publishing insulting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), have turned the Western countries into suffocating prison for Muslims.
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