KARACHI: Leaders of the different religious minorities on Thursday condemned the Swedish sacrilege of the Holy Qur'an, seeking a UN probe into the profanity and punishment for the perpetrators.

A big number of religious minorities held a protest demonstration outside Karachi Press Club, which Jamaat-e-Islami Karachi had organised to denounce the Swedish brazen hatred against Islam.

A Swedish citizens with the support of his government and the court to torch the Holy Qur'an on Eid-ul-Azha in front of a religious gathering in Sweden to manifest Islamophobia in Europe.

Addressing the protestors, Cardinal, Joseph Coutts termed the Swedish government's support for the burning of the Holy Qur'an "agony" to the Christian community.

He denounced the Swedish rule and its court for permitting their citizen to torch the Holy Qur'an and called the state's approval as equally shocking to his community.

He condemned the vicious sacrilege and demanded of the UN to investigate into the act, as he sensed Islamophobia behind the heinous sentiments.

He also demanded for punishment to the perpetrators. He also asked the international body to criminalize anti-religion acts across the world.

Aneel Singh abd Ashok Nag Acharia from Sikh and Hindu communities condemned the Swedish anti-Islam act and demanded for a global legislation to stop anti-religious violent sentiments.

JI Minorities Wing leader, Younous Sohan Masih appealed to all the minorities in Karachi to participate in the protest demonstrations to be held on Friday, July 7, 2023.

Father Mario, Dr Sabir Mikel, Mohsin Iqbal and others also condemned the fresh wave of anti-Islam drive in Europe.

JI Karachi Ameer Engr Hafiz Naeemur Rehman termed the Sweden government's supported act of torching the Holy Qur'an "blow" to the interfaith harmony globally.

He said that the burning of the Holy Qur'an also transpires a brazen and coward abuse of right of expression.

"Hurting the religious sentiments of over one billion Muslims is tantamount to crushing norms and values of the global community itself," he said that the sacrilege will even sow unrest amongst Muslims.

He urged the Western world to shun their dual standards policy and hypocrisy, while responding differently holocaust and Islamophobia. The UN should criminalize insult and discrimination against Islam and other religions, he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023