Doha / Media & Communication Dept./ January 24

The State of Qatar condemns and denounces in the strongest terms the Dutch authorities' permission to tear up a copy of the Holy Quran in the Dutch city of The Hague. It also stresses that this vile incident is an act of incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that allowing repeated infringement of the Holy Quran under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards. The Ministry also warns that the campaigns of hatred against Islam and the discourse of Islamophobia have witnessed a dangerous escalation by continuing the systematic calls for the repeated targeting of Muslims in the world. In this context, the Ministry renews its call to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities to reject hatred, discrimination, incitement and violence, and stresses the importance of upholding the principles of dialogue and common understanding.

The Ministry renews the State of Qatar's full support for the values of tolerance and coexistence, and its keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and understanding.