*Urges Ummah worldwide to remain calm, peaceful, law-abiding
By; BAYO AKAMO, Ibadan
The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA) on Saturday, called on the Swedish Authorities to investigate the burning of Holy Qur’an in front of the main Mosque in Stockholm, Sweden.
NSCIA in a statement by its Deputy Secretary-General, Prof. Salisu Shehu also asked the Swedish authorities to “make the report public, and ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done’.
It stressed that NSCIA joined other well-meaning leaders and individuals across the world ” to condemn, in the strongest terms, the provocative and blasphemous act of burning the Glorious Qur’an”
According to the Islamic body, “This abominable and heinous act is a clear affirmation of the growing high level of Islamophobia while evidencing the impunity of Islamophobes whose hatred for Islam and Muslims knows no bound”.
” The Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, (NSCIA) under the leadership of its President-General and Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alh. Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, CFR on behalf of the entire Nigerian Muslim Ummah, joins other well-meaning leaders and individuals across the world to condemn, in the strongest terms, the provocative and blasphemous act of burning the Glorious Qur’an in front of the main Mosque in Stockholm, Sweden”, it said.
NSCIA added, ” Actions and utterances credited to the seIslamophobess mack of gross insensitivity, and disrespect for the feelings and sensibilities of nearly two billion Muslims in the World.
” The Council calls on the Swedish Authorities to as a matter of urgency investigate the matter, make the report public, and ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done.This is one too many attacks on Mosques in Sweden, especially recalling that of 2015 and another in December 2022,following which a damaged copy of the Qur’an was left chained up and hanging outside the entrance of the Mosque”
NSCIA stressed, ” It is ironical that a blasphemous act of the current magnitude would be allowed in a country often celebrated as one of the most peaceful in the entire Europe”, adding, ” the Council is particularly shocked that the supposedly intelligent and civilised Swedish Police would fail to restrain, thereby tacitly granting permission for an individual to carry out such an obvious offensive and provocative act of burning a Holy Book.”
It maintained that this seemingly without regard to the consequences or its potential to result in or snowball into a religious crisis not only in Sweden or Europe but also across the world adding ” This begs the question for a determination of the insensitivity or culpability of the Swedish Police in this matter.”
The Supreme Council then enjoined the Ummah across the world to remain calm and continue to be peaceful and law-abiding in the face of this provocation and that the ” Council acknowledges and commends the proactive and strong response made by Turkiye, Morocco and other Muslim countries on this matter.
” Once more, the Council reiterates the fact that no Holy Book should be desecrated and disrespected in such manner as recurring in Sweden. It is our strongest and surest belief that Sweden would never allow its National flag to be burnt in such ignoble manner, not to talk of burning the Bible.
