There is no connection between “freedom of expression” and burning a copy of the Quran. The Kingdom of Morocco, whose Sovereign is an Amir Al Mu’minin (Commander of the Faithful), has always despised irreverent acts that outrage the sensibilities of Muslims worldwide and violate the Islamic religion, regardless of where they may originate.
The burning of the Holy Quran on Wednesday in Stockholm has been strongly condemned by the Kingdom because it violated human rights and was an unacceptable act of recidivism committed under the passive and permissive watch of Swedish authorities who were under pressure from the contentious decision of the Supreme Court, which upheld the ban on such demonstrations.
Nevertheless, to situate the savagery of Islam’s Holy
The book falls under the “freedom of expression” or “demonstration” banner, but this is nonsense because it has more to do with injustice than justice. Burning the Quran is the height of contempt, bigotry, and prejudice against all Muslims, especially during these holy days when the Muslim world is celebrating Eid Al-Adha.
Burning the Quran is neither an act of freedom of speech or insult, defamation, or threat. How can we communicate to Muslims in Sweden and throughout the world that these basic liberties are being taken advantage of and diverted from their original purpose in order to appease some, even at the cost of insulting others?
The circumstances are grave, just as the facts are.
The Quran being burned is a heinous act, occurring amid a rise in racism, Islamophobia, and incitement of hatred against Muslims in Europe.
There are many manifestations of this, including the rise of xenophobic sentiments, the dissemination of Islamophobic narratives, political and populist comebacks, the stigmatization of Islam and Muslims, the creation of scapegoats, and the instrumentalization of the migration issue, which essentializes Muslims and devolves into conspiracy theories that foster an imagined threat and demonization of the “Other”.
A copy of the Koran was burned on Wednesday in Stockholm, while a day earlier in Nanterre, a 17-year-old fled into the arms of a police officer. Under the rule of law, such violence—physical, emotional, or symbolic—cannot continue.
When it does not directly result in death, Islamophobia is a call to violence and a violation of human rights. Anywhere must not allow it.
In His Royal Message to the Participants in the Parliamentary Conference on Interfaith Dialogue, delivered on June 13 in Marrakech, His Majesty the King recalled that ideologies of “extremism, self-centeredness, hatred, and reclusiveness” are prevalent in our world.
He also emphasized that “we should realize that fearing a given religion—or, to put it more accurately, inspiring feelings of fear of that religion—leads to hatred for the manifestations of that faith and As a result, there is agitation against that faith, prejudice, and violent acts.
