The western countries never get tired of blowing the trumpet of religious freedom and protection of basic human rights but when it comes to their own societies, they appear to be totally devoid of them. The recent increase in Islamophobic acts highlight a disturbing pattern of religious tolerance that persists in the western world.
In the latest despicable and provocative act, extremist elements in Sweden resorted to burning of the holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha. This outrageous act has hurt sentiments of millions of Muslims across the world. They are rightly angered over desecration as being part of their faith, the Muslims can tolerate anything but not desecration of the holy Quran and holy personalities. It is not an isolated incident as such acts are deliberately being repeated in Sweden and other Western countries, which clearly manifest the rise of Islamophobia in these countries. While the entire Muslim Ummah has deeply expressed their anger and resentment on burning of holy Quran in Sweden, it is also for the Swedish government to respond to those sentiments by arresting those behind this evil act and prosecuting them. These extremist elements are not doing any favour to their society but playing with fire and putting peace and stability at stake. If Swedish government does not move against these elements, the Muslim countries should call back their envoys from the country as a mark of protest. To combat rising tide of religious intolerance, it is essential to strengthen legal protections against hate crimes and ensure that those responsible for such acts face appropriate consequences, thus sending a clear message that acts of religious hatred will not be tolerated under any circumstances. At this point it will be unfair not to commend Russian President Vladimir Putin who has always shown special love and affection for the Muslim population. Also on Wednesday, he said that desecration of holy Quran is a crime in Russia according to the constitution and penal of code. For peaceful coexistence, other countries should also follow the suit. It is for the United Nations to come forward in a practical manner and criminalise Islamophobic acts.
