Pope Francis expressed his anger and disgust over the desecration of the Holy Quran, and he rejected the idea of tolerating the crime as a kind of freedom of expression.
The pope stated this in an interview that was published on Monday in the United Arab Emirates daily Al Ittihad.
He said, “Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it,”
The pope expressed his rage and contempt at these behaviours and said ”Freedom of expression must never be used to denigrate others, and doing so is unacceptable and condemned.”
Two men burnt a Quran outside the main mosque in Stockholm on Wednesday, when most of the Muslims around the world were celebrating Eid ul Adha festivities, following approval from a Swedish court.
According to Swedish public broadcaster SVT, the guy who had requested authorization for the action, a 37-year-old Iraqi immigrant who wants the book banned, tore out pages from the Quran, rubbed them on his shoe, and put part of them on fire.
Around 200 individuals, including counter-protesters, arrived to observe. One person who attempted to throw a rock was apprehended.
Government of Pakistan strongly condemned the despicable act of public burning of the Holy Quran, saying such wilful incitement to discrimination, hatred, and violence cannot be justified under the pretext of freedom of expression and protest.
Under international law, states are duty-bound to prohibit any advocacy of religious hatred, leading to the incitement of violence. The recurrence of such Islamophobic incidents during the last few months in the West calls into serious question the legal framework which permits such hate-driven actions.
