A delegation of representatives from a number of Islamic countries is to lobby the European Commission to ban Quran burnings.
The announcement was made as part of a resolution passed by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on July 31 that condemned a current protest movement in Sweden and Denmark, where the religious book is now regularly being burned.
In a resolution published after an extraordinary meeting open to the OIC’s 57 member states, the group lashed out at the burnings, describing them as “criminal” and an “embodiment of the culture of hatred and racism”.
The OIC went on to announce that it would be sending senior members to Brussels to demand leading Eurocrats pass measures banning Quran burnings throughout the bloc.
“[We will] despatch an OIC delegation led by the Secretary General to engage the [European] Commission of the European Union to express the strong condemnation of the OIC member states the crimes of desecration of [the Quran],” the resolution reads.
It goes on to call on the EU “to take the necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of such criminal acts under the pretext of freedom of expression”.
OIC members also demanded that online censorship throughout the world be increased to prevent the dissemination of “Islamophobia” and “hate speech” and that the United Nations appoint a bespoke “special rapporteur on combatting Islamophobia”.
Speaking to Brussels Signal regarding the lobbying plan, a representative of the OIC’s Brussels mission said that they could not yet give any timeframe for when the visit would take place.
They added that the “high-level” nature of the lobbying effort meant arrangements would need to be confirmed with European officials.
Since the first high-profile Quran burning in June this year, numerous protests where the book has been destroyed have taken place throughout Denmark and Sweden, drawing the ire of much of the Islamic world.
More Quran burnings are reportedly being planned in both countries despite attempts by their governments to curtail the demostrations.
At least six events where the Quran is to be burnt have been organised in Denmark, while a further five applications for such protests have been submitted for police approval in Sweden.
The demonstrations are now promoting security fears in both countries, with Swedish officials in particular concerned about a growing terror threat in the country.
“I am extremely concerned about what can be set in motion [by the protests],” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said, adding that the granting of further permits for Quran-burning protests could heighten the chance of violent reprisals.
“There are several additional permits for desecration that have been requested. It is the police who make those decisions and not me,” he said.
“If they are granted, we face a number of days with the obvious risk of serious things happening.”
Sweden has already faced violent repercussions for allowing the Quran to be destroyed, with its embassy in Baghdad recently being stormed and set on fire by Iraqi protesters.
The country has confirmed that it has no plans to make major changes to its freedom of speech laws, though refused to rule out smaller adjustments to curb Quran-bannings.
