Doha - Media & Communication Dept. - April 01

The State of Qatar condemns, in the strongest terms, the repeated crime of burning a copy of the Holy Quran in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and stresses that this heinous incident is an act of incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world, especially in the blessed month of Ramadan. It also calls on the Danish government to take the necessary measures against the perpetrators of religious hate crimes.

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 the values of peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards. The Ministry reiterates The State of Qatar’s total rejection of all forms of hate speech based on belief, race or religion, as well as using sanctities in political disputes. It also warns that hate campaigns against Islam and the discourse of Islamophobia have witnessed a dangerous escalation by continued systematic calls to repeat the targeting of Muslims in the world. The Ministry renews its call to the international community to assume its responsibilities to reject hatred, discrimination, incitement and violence. It stresses the importance of upholding the principles of dialogue and mutual 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.