ISLAMABAD: The Christian community has condemned the desecration of the Holy Quran by an Iraqi refugee in Sweden and demanded the Swedish government to curb such deliberate acts of provocation from its soil and punish the perpetrators.

“The bishops of the Church of Pakistan, representing the Pakistani Christian community, denounce the burning of the Holy Quran reportedly by an atheist whose intentions were clearly to sow discord and damage peace in the world,” a joint press statement issued by Reverend Emmanuel Khokhar, spokesperson of the Church of Pakistan said.

The statement issued by all seven diocesan bishops said that every person who believes in holy books cannot condone the disgusting act of desecrating holy scriptures of any faith.

“Freedom of speech and expression should never be used as a means to despise others. Such actions are committed by individuals who have no association with any religion and they do this to further their own vested interests,” the statement by Church of Pakistan’s President Bishop, Dr Azad Marshall said.

Bishop Marshall said the Pakistani Christian community condemns such actions and wants to assure their Muslim brethren that they understand their pain and anguish and stand with them in solidarity.

“We always have and will continue to raise our voices against such recurring religiously provocative actions. Such acts overtly encourage hatred, exclusion and racism,” he said.

The statement said that resolutions were also presented in all major churches of the Church of Pakistan condemning the hateful incidents in Sweden and other European countries, including France, Norway and Denmark.

“The Church of Pakistan is engaged in service across the country without discrimination of race and color and every religion is respectable for us. We have always taught inter-faith harmony, tolerance and love and respect for each other,” the statement emphasized.

The statement also noted with concern that some vested interests had started social media campaigns against Christians in wake of the incident in Sweden.

“We categorically denounce such malicious campaigns that are meant to create religious discord and unrest in our society. Pakistani Christians have no sympathy for such persons and we are in no way responsible for their actions. Our state institutions should take notice of these campaigns and ensure protection of our community members and churches,” the statement added.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2023