Islamabad [Pakistan]: The Pakistani Foreign Ministry on Saturday summoned the Norwegian Ambassador to Islamabad to express concern about the desecration of the Quran in Norway’s Kristiansand, the ministry said.
Earlier this week, the ‘Stop Islamisation of Norway’ movement held a rally in Kristiansand, during which its leader Lars Thorsen tried to burn a copy of the holy book despite warnings from the police. A scuffle broke out after an unknown man tried to stop Thorsen from burning the Quran and both of them were detained.
“The Ambassador of Norway was called to the Foreign Office today to convey the deep concern of the government and people of Pakistan over the incident of desecration of the Holy Quran in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand. Pakistan’s condemnation of this action was reiterated. It was underscored that such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world, including those in Pakistan. Furthermore, such actions could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression,” the ministry said.
Norwegian Ambassador to Pakistan Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen, on his part, condemned the incident adding that in “Norway everyone has the right to free speech and to practice their religion without being harassed.”
Islamabad also urged the Norwegian authorities to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent the recurrence of any such incident in the future.