By Asim Hussain
ISLAMABAD: The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran here on Thursday declared the decision of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to introduce and celebrate July 7th as the Day of Honoring the Holy Quran was a worthy, befitting and relevant initiative.
Desecrating the Holy Quran, the sacred book of the largest religious community in the world, or insulting any sacred symbol of divine religions, was a deplorable, ignorant, and biased act aimed at inciting public opinion and promoting misuse of freedom of expression. It is crucial to acknowledge that desecrating the Holy Quran represents an affront to the holy books of all divine religions.
“We firmly believe that such biased actions, which seek to incite public opinion, generate instability, create violence and spreading hatred. Undoubtedly, the this biased way of inciting public opinion through insulting the holy symbols which are meant to destabilize the Muslim world and create human legal cases, should be countered and neutralized.
In our turn, we extend an invitation to all faithful people and free thinkers worldwide to join together in a unified effort to denounce this heinous act. Islamophobia, the insulting of sacred elements and symbols of the divine religions, and the desecration of holy books should be halted through political synergy, legal procedures and appropriate didactic instructions as these actions provide fertile ground for the spreading of hatred and violence, ideological clashes, destabilisation and the anguish of countless religious individuals worldwide.”
In order to rectify this situation, it is imperative to employ coordinated and unifying measures such as clarification, explanation, education, legal procedures and dialogue. These constructive approaches will pave the way for correcting the current state of affairs.
The embassy wholeheartedly supports this commendable initiative by the friendly and brotherly government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in designating July 7 as the day to Honor the Holy Quran.