Iran Press/ Europe: Recent months have seen repeated acts of Quran desecration, or attempts to do so by Islamophobic figures or groups, especially in northern European and Nordic countries, drawing outrage from Muslim countries and the world.
These brazen actions were also met with the reaction of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, and while expressing solidarity with the Islamic community, he condemned any action in the direction of Islamophobia.
This statement, which was issued at the suggestion of Seyed Mehdi Hosseini Matin, Chargé d'Affaires of the Iranian Embassy in London and by the initiative of the Iraqi Ambassador on Monday, referred to a series of statements published by political figures, governments and international forums condemning the burning of the Quran.
The issued statement by the OIC members added: "The ambassadors stress that all relevant stakeholders, including governments, must redouble their efforts to address discriminatory behaviour, xenophobia and hate speech, in accordance with international human rights law."
The senior diplomats of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in London noted: "Insulting belief or religion leads to the polarization of societies, which causes severe tensions and provokes anger, hatred and violence."
They also emphasized the need to prevent "actions that disrespect other beliefs and cannot in any way be classified as freedom of expression."
Earlier, on 26 July, The United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday passed a resolution condemning any violence against holy books and their desecration as a violation of international law. 219
