Jeddah, 26th January 2023: The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) strongly condemns the recent despicable act of burning and desecrating the Holy Quran by the far-right Swedish and Dutch demagogues, which is a targeted manifestation of religious hatred violative of international human rights law.
While constructive criticism is a legitimate part of freedom of expression, desecrating holy scripture, thus inflaming the feelings of billions of Muslims worldwide, squarely falls into the category of incitement to hatred, discrimination, and violence, a punishable crime under international human rights law. Hence, this vile incident which insults Islamic sanctities and values is completely unacceptable and is an exercise in bigotry and hatred that has nothing to do with the right to freedom of expression,the Commission added.
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and Articles 19 & 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) clearly stipulate that this is not an ‘absolute’ right; instead, its exercise is subject to ‘special duties and corresponding responsibilities’ based on ‘avoidance of harm to others’ to ensure societal cohesion, including the duty of the State to prohibit, by law, “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence.”
The Commission stressed that the world needs solidarity, tolerance, respect for cultural and religious diversity, and enhanced dialogue at all levels. Such expressions of manifest hatred would only strengthen the hands of extremists on both sides of the cultural divide, further fueling racial and religious hatred, discrimination, and violence. An outcome that squarely goes against the coveted ideal of multiculturalism.
While urging Muslims to exercise restraint and exhaust available domestic and international legal remedies to counter the hate expression, the Commission has called upon the Swedish and Dutch authorities to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to justice. Also, it urged all States to fully and effectively implement the Action Plan of universally approved UN Human Rights Council Res. 16/18 to combat religious intolerance and build consensus on the threshold of freedom of expression where it converts into incitement to hatred, discrimination, or violence, requiring its criminalization as provided in Article 20 of the ICCPR
