The “Insan” Organization for Rights and Freedoms strongly condemns the incident of desecration of the Holy Qur’an carried out by an individual in the United States of America, along with the accompanying offensive practices that have hurt the feelings of millions of Muslims around the world. Such acts constitute a blatant violation of the right to freedom of religion and belief, which is guaranteed by international human rights instruments.
The organization affirms that insulting religious sanctities, regardless of the justification or cover under which it is carried out, does not fall within the scope of freedom of opinion and expression. Rather, it represents a form of religious hate speech and incitement to discrimination, which is prohibited under Article (20) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. This article obliges states to prohibit any advocacy of national or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to hostility or violence.
Insan believes that the failure of the competent authorities to take deterrent legal measures against the perpetrators of such violations sends negative messages, encourages the continuation of practices that demean beliefs and religious sanctities, and undermines international efforts aimed at combating religious hatred and promoting a culture of mutual respect.
The Insan Organization for Rights and Freedoms calls on the U.S. administration to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and to take serious and decisive steps to put an end to these repeated offenses against the Islamic faith, and to ensure that freedom of expression is not used as a pretext to justify incitement to religious hatred.
The organization also urges the international community, United Nations bodies, and human rights organizations to take a clear and effective stance rejecting such practices, to affirm the necessity of respecting all religious sanctities, and to work collectively to confront the rise of hate speech, in order to safeguard the values of peace and human coexistence.
