Protesters in Canada’s Montreal Decry Quran Desecration in Norway
Ilyas Butt, a spokesperson for the event, said the act, committed during an anti-Islam rally in the city of Kristiansand, showed there must be limits on freedom of speech to combat hate toward Islam.
“It hurts Muslim people around the world,” he said of the burning of a copy of the Quran in Norway, which was captured on video.
It shows a youth jumping over a fence and kicking the person burning the Quran. The incident drew widespread condemnation across Pakistan, with many people praising the youth as a hero for defending the Quran.
“Islam is a peaceful religion,” said Butt, who called for stricter guidelines in western countries to prevent such incidents.
On Saturday, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Norway’s ambassador to convey Pakistan’s deep concern over the burning.
“Such actions hurt the sentiments of 1.3 billion Muslims around the world,” it said in a statement.
Source: The Montreal Gazette
