13 July 2023; MEMO: The UN Human Rights Council condemned recent attacks on the Muslim holy book, the Quran, despite Western countries' votes against the resolution, Anadolu Agency reports.
The draft resolution was presented by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The resolution, which calls for condemnation of attacks targeting the Quran and described them as "acts of religious hatred", was put to vote by the 47-member council.
The resolution was adopted with 28 countries voting in favour, 12 countries voting against it, and seven countries abstaining at the 53rd regular session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Countries that voted in favour of the resolution included Algeria, Argentina, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Cameroon, China, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Belgium, Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Romania, the UK, and the US voted against the resolution.
Turkiye does not have the right to vote, as it has observer status at the UN Human Rights Council.
Also, the UK, the US and some European Union member countries rejected condemning the burning of the Quran during an urgent debate Tuesday at the UN Human Rights Council over the rising number of attacks against the Muslim holy book.
Pakistan welcomes resolution
Pakistani Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has welcomed the move, thanking the Council's members who supported the resolution moved by Islamabad.
Sharif said on Twitter that incidents like the burning of Quran in Sweden cannot be "tolerated at all".
"All religious symbols, holy personages and Divine Books are equally sacred for followers of all faiths. Those indulging in such despicable & vile acts as the burning of the Holy Quran in the name of freedom of expression need to be called out publicly. Humanity is better served by a consensus on the resolve to safeguard our shared values of religious tolerance, pluralism and respect for all faiths," he wrote.
