LAHORE: Two senior leaders of the global Anglican church have condemned the profanation of a copy of the Holy Quran in Norway, calling it an “inhuman act”.
The desecration of the Islamic sacred text took place at a protest by an Islamophobic organisation, Stop the Islamisation of Norway (SIAN), in Kristiansand on November 19.
In a joint statement on Monday, Anglican Archbishop of North America Dr Foley Beach and National Council of Churches of Pakistan President Bishop Dr Azad Marshall said that Christians across the world condemn the incident and express solidarity with the Muslims.
“We must respect all religions and expect others to respect ours,” they said, urging the Norwegian government to “prevent such actions” and “ensure those responsible are brought to justice as soon as possible”.
In his view, Archbishop Dr Foley said that desecrating the holy Quran is a sign of “intolerance and an unsustainable act” and cannot be condoned by any believer belonging to the Christian faith.
Bishop Dr Azad, who is also the Bishop of Raiwind of the Church of Pakistan, said that the incident has hurt the feelings of Muslims across the globe and Pakistani Christians stand shoulder to shoulder with their countrymen in this time.
“No one has the right to insult the religion of others,” he said, adding that such sacrilegious acts go against the concept of harmony between faiths and threaten the multicultural fabric of societies and brotherhood.
