Pakistan protests desecration of Quran in Norway

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Saturday summoned the Norwegian ambassador to convey concern over the incident of desecration of the Muslim holy book, Quran, in Norwegian city of Kristiansand.

“Pakistan’s condemnation of this action was reiterated. It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression," said a statement by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.

“The Norwegian authorities were urged to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future,” the statement added.

According to the Foreign Ministry, Pakistan’s ambassador in Oslo has also been instructed to convey Pakistan’s protest to the Norwegian authorities,

The extreme right-wing group, Stop the Islamization of Norway (SION), in Norway held a protest against Islam last week and attempted to burn a copy of the Holy Quran.

SION members were prevented from burning a copy of the Quran by police. However, the group's leader insulted the scripture held sacred by Muslims by throwing it in a waste container.