World
Muslim leaders condemn Quran desecration at UN General Assembly session
Deliberately compromising the sanctity of others should not be called freedom of expression: Emir of Qatar.
New York: In a session of the United Nations General Assembly, Muslim leaders expressed their strong condemnation of recent incidents involving the desecration of the Holy Quran and other sacred religious texts.
These leaders also took the opportunity to voice their criticism of Western nations for what they view as rising Islamophobia and racism within these countries.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressing the assembly, argued that Western nations, including those at the forefront of the democratic world, are grappling with deep-seated racism, which extends to Islamophobia.
He further noted that incidents of desecration have escalated to an intolerable level.
President Erdoğan went on to criticize the role of the Security Council, emphasizing that it has devolved from its intended purpose as a guarantor of global peace and has instead become an arena for power struggles among its permanent members.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West of attempting to divert attention away from issues such as freedom of expression.
He argued that Western countries have transitioned from desecrating the Holy Quran to imposing bans on the wearing of hijabs in schools.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar, echoed these sentiments, stressing that deliberately compromising the sanctity of religious beliefs should not be misconstrued as an exercise of freedom of expression.