Following the Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s announcement of observing Friday as ‘Yaum-e-Taqaddus-e-Quran’ (Sanctity of the Holy Quran), protest rallies were carried out across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to lodge a strong protest against the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden.
Demonstrations were held across the province, with people from different walks of life and political parties participating in the protests to express their resentment over the desecration of the holy book. A large number of people took out protest rallies on the main GT Road and Saddar Bazaar in Peshawar who chanted slogans against the Swedish government for allowing such a condemnable and disgraceful activity on its soil.
Several demonstrations later joined the main protesting rallies on GT Road with people belonging to other religions also partaking in them to express their annoyance over the desecration of the holy book.
After Friday prayer, the protestors gathered near the Hashtnagri where the people carried placards inscribed with slogans against Sweden and desertion of the Holy Quran. They seemed quite angry with the most deplorable act of desecration of the holy Quran on the first day of Eid ul Adha in Sweden.
The speakers on the occasion said that the Quran was our red line and no one would be allowed to cross this line. They said that the Quran was saved and protected in our hearts and it would be passed on to our generations till the Day of Judgment.
They said the Quran teaches us to be patient in situations however, such incidents were tantamount to incite the sentiments of Muslim Ummah that were absolutely unacceptable. They were of the view that no one can desecrate our holy book as Allah Almighty has taken the responsibility to protect the Holy Quran.
They said this shameful act depicted that the government of Sweden has failed to provide security to the people of other religions or otherwise has allowed its people to play with the religious sentiments of believers of other religions. The speakers demanded of the Swedish government to arrest and award exemplary punishment to the man who desecrated the holy Quran in order to avoid the recurrence of such shameful incidents in the future.
The protest rallies were also carried out in Kohat Bazaar, Bank Road Mardan, Shawa Adda Swabi, Tank Road Dera Ismail Khan, main bazaar Bannu, Cantt Road Nowshera, Charsadda Chowk and other cities.
The Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Tuesday last, while presiding over a meeting in Islamabad, had announced to stage countrywide protests over the incident and appealed to all the political parties and the nation to participate in the rallies.
“Speaking with one voice, the whole nation will give a message to the evil minds,” said the prime minister. He maintained that the nation would observe the “Youm-e-Taqaddus-e-Quran” on Friday.
The PM said the nation stands united when it comes to the Holy Quran, noting that not only Pakistanis but the entire Muslim world was concerned over this vile act. He said that the people across the country would express their emotions over the heart-wrenching incident after Friday prayers, where “all the Muslims will raise the flag of the Holy Quran’s honor and record their protest”.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in his statement over the issue, has said that the desecration of the Holy Quran in Sweden was another example of the rising Islamophobic mindset that seeks to dehumanize and denigrate Islam.
“It is an act of blatant provocation to try to inflame sentiments and undermine Islam as a religion of peace, tolerance and acceptance,” he said. It merits a mention here that a person, who migrated from Iraq to Sweden, burned pages of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the first day of Eid ul Adha, prompting outrage in the Muslim world. The act was also condemned by Pope Francis.
