Norway Bans Burning of Holy Qur’an
Oslo: The Government of Norway has banned the desecration of the Holy Qur’an and warned that strict action would be taken if such incidents happened again.
Authorities said everyone in Norway can avail freedom of speech but within the limits.
It has been reported that Norway police have been asked to bar activities hurting the religious sentiments of people.
Earlier, Pakistan lodged a protest with Norway over the desecration of the Holy Qur’an in the Norwegian city of Kristiansand.Norwegian Ambassador Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen was summoned to the Foreign Office and conveyed the “deep concern of the government and people of Pakistan” over the incident.
Pakistan urged the ambassador to bring those who were involved in the desecration of the Holy Qur’an to justice and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in the future.
Lars Thorsen, a leader of an anti-Islam group, set fire to a copy of the Qur’an the other day, while another leader of the far-right group Arne Tumyr, desecrated two copies of the holy book by throwing them into a trash bin during a demonstration.
Muslims across the world have been praising the Muslim man – now being called the ‘Defender of Qur’an’ – who attacked Lars Thorsen, the leader of the ‘Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)’, for burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an.
Social media was set ablaze with praises on Friday for the Muslim hero who interrupted an anti-Islam rally last week to stop another man from burning a copy of the Holy Quran in Norway.
A scuffle broke out after the leader of the 'Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN)' rally, Lars Thorsen, tried to burn a copy of the holy book in the city of Kristiansand despite warnings from local police officials.
In a video on social media, the 'Muslim hero' could be seen jumping into the barricaded circle to save the holy book from being desecrated. The rally soon turned violent, after which police took Thorsen and his attackers into custody.
The man who stopped Thorsen from burning the Holy Qur’an was called Ilyas on social media, but his exact identity could not be ascertained.
Netizens took to social media to praise Ilyas and also raise alarm over the rise of Islamophobia in Europe and around the world.
#ilyas_Hero_of_Muslim_Ummah, #Norway, #Defender_of_Quran, #TheGloriousQuran and Muslims started trending on Twitter in Pakistan.
The Pakistan Union Norway (PUN), an important social and cultural organization, condemned the incident.
PUN Chairman Chaudhry Qamar Iqbal said that Thorsen hurt the sentiments of Muslims by desecrating the Holy Qur’an. He said that Norwegians were peaceful people and Norway enjoyed a good reputation around the world as it respected the rights of other religions.
Iqbal said that the people of Norway and its Muslims were also hurt over the fact that the desecration took place in broad daylight and the police did nothing to stop it. He condemned the police for springing into action only when the man jumped in to stop the desecration and, instead, came to the aid of the agitator.
The PUN chairman urged the government of Norway to stop people who instigated and hurt the sentiments of others through acts of extremism.
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