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- OIC secretary general鈥檚 comments come as mob lynches man for allegedly desecrating Holy Quran
- The killing comes months after a Sri Lankan factory manager was lynched over alleged blasphemy in Sialkot
ISLAMABAD: The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, has expressed 鈥渃oncern鈥� over rising intolerance and incidents of faith-based violence during an address at the inaugural segment of the 8th Meeting of The Istanbul Process held virtually this week.
The meeting, hosted by Pakistan, witnessed broad participation of states from all regions, relevant UN officials and experts, religious leaders, civil society, business representatives and journalists.
Taha鈥檚 comments about rising hate crimes came as an enraged mob stoned to death a middle-aged man for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran inside a mosque in a remote village in eastern Pakistan last week.
The latest killing comes just months after a mob of factory employees tortured and burned a Sri Lankan manager in Sialkot in December over apparent blasphemy in a 鈥渉orrific鈥� attack that Prime Minister Imran Khan said had brought shame on the country.
鈥淭aha expressed OIC鈥檚 concern over the continued rise of hatred, intolerance, discrimination and violence practiced on the basis of faith,鈥� the OIC said in a statement, quoting the secretary general. 鈥淗e mentioned that the phenomenon is a threat to humanity as it jeopardizes peace and security in the world, in recalling the terrorist incidents that occurred in 2019 in New Zealand and Sri Lanka.鈥�
鈥淭he OIC Secretary General underlined the crucial importance of collective efforts at international level to reverse such a tendency and to prevent atrocities from reoccurring, by using all available means and tools,鈥� the statement added.