Geneva, July 12, 2023 (PPI-OT): Opposition to the Pakistan-led OIC resolution against desecration of Holy Quran, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council, today, has exposed West’s hollow claims of being anti-religious hatred. The resolution was tabled by Pakistan, on behalf of OIC, condemning “recurring acts of the public burning of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries”.

The resolution titled “Countering Religious Hatred Constituting Incitement to Discrimination, Hostility or Violence” aims to initiate an urgent conversation and a process to prevent and counter the growing scourge of religious hatred. In late June, a man had torn and burned a copy of the Holy Quran outside Swedish capital Stockholm’s central mosque. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, comprising 57 countries, had called the incident “offensive, disrespectful and a clear act of provocation” that incites hatred and constitutes a human rights violation.

The resolution exposed the western countries including the United States, which so-called champion human rights in the world, but voted against this resolution. Besides the US, others which voted agaisnt the resolution are the UK, France Belgium, Germany, Romania, Lithuania, Costa Rica and Finland. Nepal, Paraguay, Georgia, Benin, Chile, Honduras, and Mexico abstained. However, China among twenty-eight countries, including South Africa, Vietnam and Ukraine voted for it and proved to be a true friend of Muslims and Muslim countries.

Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. in Geneva, Khalil Hasmi, rightly accused the West of “lip service” to their commitment to prevent religious hatred. “The opposition of a few in the room has emanated from their unwillingness to condemn the public desecration of the Holy Quran or any other religious book,” he said.

“They lack political, legal and moral courage to condemn this act, and it was the minimum that the Council could have expected from them,” added Hashmi. As regards India, although it half-heartedly supported the resolution, yet its action is quite contrary. Amid demolition of mosques and churches and attacks on Muslims, Christians and other minorities in India, New Delhi’s verbal support to the resolution would be deemed a double standard.

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