OIC Calls for Collective Measures to Prevent Quran Desecration

The 57-member body met at its headquarters in Jeddah. SPA
The 57-member body met at its headquarters in Jeddah. SPA
TT

OIC Calls for Collective Measures to Prevent Quran Desecration

The 57-member body met at its headquarters in Jeddah. SPA
The 57-member body met at its headquarters in Jeddah. SPA

The Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called for collective measures to prevent acts of desecration of the Quran.

The 57-member body met at its headquarters in Jeddah to respond to Wednesday’s incident in which a man living in Sweden set several pages of the Quran alight.

The OIC urged member states to “take unified and collective measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents of desecration of copies of the” Quran, according to a statement released after the extraordinary meeting.

"We must send constant reminders to the international community regarding the urgent application of international law, which clearly prohibits any advocacy of religious hatred," OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said.

The Permanent Representative of Saudi Arabia to the OIC, Dr. Saleh bin Hamad Al-Suhaibani, in the Kingdom's speech, expressed high appreciation for the active attendance “to discuss the blatant provocative actions and the repeated despicable acts of attacking the sanctity of the Quran in Sweden.”

Dr. Al-Suhaibani said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of these repeated despicable acts and stresses that these hateful acts cannot be accepted under any justification as they clearly incite hatred, exclusion, and racism.”

“The Kingdom calls for harmony, peace, and rapprochement. These acts directly contradict international efforts seeking to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism, and undermine the principles of mutual respect necessary for relations among peoples and states,” he added.



UAE Expresses Deep Concern over Escalating Violence in Sudan

UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
TT

UAE Expresses Deep Concern over Escalating Violence in Sudan

UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo
UAE flag flies over a boat at Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates May 22, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah/File Photo

UAE Minister of State Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan has expressed the UAE’s deep concern over violence in Sudan, particularly against women, children, and the elderly in Al Jazirah state, which resulted in the killing and wounding of a number of innocent civilians, state news agency WAM reported.

He underlined that the UAE is alarmed by reports of sexual violence against women and girls, the high risk of famine, and the continued suffering and displacement of thousands of civilians.

Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan called on the Sudanese warring parties to return to dialogue, respect their commitments under the Jeddah Declaration and the mechanisms proposed by the Aligned for Advancing Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan (ALPS) related to facilitating safe, urgent, and unhindered access to humanitarian aid. His also underscored the necessity for all parties to adhere to their obligations under international humanitarian law.

The Minister emphasised the importance of protecting civilians according to international humanitarian law, and the need to ensure that they are not targeted during conflict.

In this regard, Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan reaffirmed the UAE’s unwavering position in calling for an immediate ceasefire, stressing its support for efforts to achieve national consensus toward forming a civilian-led government, in a way that meets the aspirations of the Sudanese people for development and prosperity.