Malaysia- Abdul Razak Ahmad, a special representative of Malaysia’s foreign minister, has called for the recognition of Islamophobia as a criminal offense, following a recent wave of Quran desecrations in Europe. Ahmad praised Turkey for its strong response to the incidents and said that Muslim countries should respond similarly in cases involving the desecration of the Holy Quran. He cited Norway as an example, where officials revoked a permit for a Quran burning after a warning from Ankara.
According to Ahmad, countries such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and a few others have shown leadership in the fight against Islamophobia. He expressed concern over the misunderstanding of Islam, which has led to hatred and a narrow interpretation of the religion. He stressed the importance of cooperation between Malaysia and Turkey in tackling Islamophobia, which he described as a global problem affecting the Muslim community.
Ahmad emphasized that freedom of expression should never come at the expense of compromising other people’s faith and their right to practice their religion. He also stressed the need for Islamic nations to show more responsiveness to the problem of Islamophobia.
“They can burn another 1,000 or 1 million Qurans, but you can never eliminate the teaching of Islam from the hearts and minds of the Muslims,” Ahmad said.
