JEDDAH — Under invitation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the President of the Islamic Summit, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will convene next week an emergency open meeting for the Executive Committee to discuss the burning of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden.

The meeting will be held in its headquarters in Jeddah and will discuss the consequences of the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an in Sweden on the first day of Eid Al-Adha.

The meeting next week is scheduled to discuss the measures to be taken against the heinous act and to adapt a collective position on the necessary course of action.

The OIC had earlier condemned the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist at Stockholm Central Mosque in Sweden following the Eid Al-Adha prayer Wednesday.

In a press release Thursday, the General Secretariat condemned the recurrence of these despicable attacks and attempts to violate the sanctity of the Holy Qur’an and other Islamic values, symbols and sanctities.

The OIC reaffirmed the commitment that all states have assumed, under the Charter of the United Nations, to promote, encourage, respect and observe human rights and fundamental freedoms for all peoples universally and without any form of distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

The Muslim World League (MWL) too strongly condemned the crime of burning a copy of the Holy Qur’an in Stockholm, Sweden, as the scenes of this disgraceful act provoke Muslims' sentiments, especially during the blessed Eid Al-Adha.

In a statement by the Secretariat-General of the Muslim World League, Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the WML and the chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, denounced this absurd and heinous crime, carried out under the protection of the police and under the claim of practicing freedom of expression.

The MWL chief added that the heinous act in reality abuses, among many things, the actual concept of freedom; which calls for respecting and not provoking others under any pretext.

Dr. Al-Issa warned against the dangers of these practices that promote hatred, provoke religious sentiments, and serve only the agendas of extremism.

In Riyadh, the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) has expressed strong condemnation of the burning of a copy of the Holy Qur’an by an extremist in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

In a statement, the KAICIID expressed its deep regret for the support given to the people who did this heinous act in terms of 'freedom of opinion and expression.’

It reiterated that respect for the beliefs and sanctities of others is a priority, especially as it relates to human rights as approved by UN conventions and recognized by international laws. — SPA