Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin. -The Star filepic
PETALING JAYA: Opposition MPs are in solidarity with the government to strongly condemn the burning of the Holy Quran in Sweden, says Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin.
The Opposition chief said in this regard, all of its lawmakers have taken the stand to be in solidarity with the government to defend the purity of Islam and resist any element that promotes Islamophobia, extremism, radicalism, hatred and violence.
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"Therefore, it is important for Putrajaya to call the Swedish Ambassador to Malaysia to voice Malaysia's objection, disappointment and regret officially in addition to demand immediate action against the perpetrators to ensure that similar incidents will not be allowed to happen in the future," he said in a statement on Monday (Jan 23).
Hamzah said this in response to the Islamophobic act by extremist Swedish-Danish far-right politician Rasmus Paludan in burning a copy of the Holy Quran in Stockholm, Sweden on Saturday (Jan 21), which Malaysia condemns in the strongest terms.
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Hamzah said the Opposition MPs also called on the government to be more proactive by inviting top leaders of the international community in order to take joint responsibility to stop any form of Islamophobia, xenophobia and intolerance involving incitement or policies that can fuel violence.
Hamzah also said that the incident of burning of the Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm, was a violation of the sanctity of the community's harmonious living and a vile act that cannot be left unchecked.
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"This blatant hate crime cannot be tolerated for any reason of tolerance or hiding behind principles of freedom of speech.
"Sweden needs to act against all of the perpetrators as this is not the first provocative incident carried out by Rasmus Paludan and the Stram Kurs group," said Hamzah.
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Paludan, leader of the Danish far-right party Stram Kurs (Hard Line), was permitted to burn the Quran on Saturday outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm, causing the Muslim world to erupt in anger over the incident.
