PETALING JAYA: Malaysia has urged Sweden to take urgent measures against the perpetrators of the vile act by a Swedish far-right politician who burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden.
Strong measures must be taken to address the alarming rise of Islamophobia in the country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
“Such a blatant defilement of Islam’s holy book by the Swedish politician and the inaction are tantamount to fomenting Islamophobia and constitute a grave provocation to the sensitivities of not just Turkiye but more than two billion Muslims in the world.
“Malaysia denounces the repeated hate crimes targeting Muslims in the world, as well as all forms of incitement to hatred and the fanning of racism in word or deed, and views with grave concern the rising tide of hate speech on account of faith or ethnicity,” he said in a statement on Sunday.
The Prime Minister’s statement came in the wake of the act by Rasmus Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), who was given permission to burn the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, causing the Muslim world to erupt in anger.
Anwar also said that Malaysia reiterated the paramount importance of upholding the principles of dialogue, engagement and mutual respect in the settlement of disputes.
He called on the international community to reject race and religion baiting under the guise of freedom of expression and to remain united against all forms of incitement to hate and violence.
Deputy Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that regardless of Paludan’s true intentions, his vile act was a clear provocation and highly disrespectful to Muslims worldwide.
“Paludan has also significantly abused the right to freedom of expression and, in so doing, undermined the spirit of peaceful coexistence in a multi-religious world.
“Umno urges the Swedish government to take appropriate action against this appalling hatred toward Islam,” said Ahmad Zahid.
Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hindu-ism, Sikhism and Taoism president Sardar Jagir Singh said the act of burning the Quran was wrong and should be condemned.
“No one should be allowed to incite hatred against any religion. The person who carried out this act of sacrilege should be investigated and punished according to the law,” he said.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the Swedish government must act against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and undertake serious measures to combat the worrisome rise of Islamophobia in the country.
“The Swedish government’s ignorance in failing to stop this dreadful and wicked act despite several protests from various parties is utterly unacceptable and could have serious repercussions for relations between Sweden and Muslims around the world.
“Malaysia urges the Swedish government to take immediate action against the perpetrators of this heinous crime and to undertake serious measures to combat the worrisome rise of Islamophobia in Sweden,” he said in a statement.
Perikatan Nasional secretary- general and Opposition leader Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said Opposition MPs stood in solidarity with the government in strongly condemning the burning of the holy Quran in Sweden.
“It is important for Putrajaya to summon the Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia to officially voice Malaysia’s objection, disappointment and regret, in addition to demanding that immediate action be taken against the perpetrators to ensure that similar incidents will not be allowed to happen in the future,” he said.
