SAHIH.CO, Jakarta – The Quran being burned by a far-right politician last month in Denmark and Sweden—both of them known as the most democratic countries in the world—triggered reactions from the international community. Muslim societies and Muslim countries around the world strongly condemn this desecration of Islam’s holy book.
Abdul Razak Ahmad, a special envoy of Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, said in an interview with Anadolu Agency—the official press agency of Turkey—on February 3, 2023, that the West has to be more realistic.
“I think the West has to be realistic about this; hatred against any particular religion will never work. Freedom of expression, freedom of thought, and freedom of speech can never be at the expense of undermining other people’s religion, undermining faith, undermining tolerance, and undermining coexistence.”
“I think our concern about islamophobia is really about the globalization of islamophobia. How Islam has been misinterpreted, how Islam has been subjected to hatred by people who have a very limited understanding of the religion itself or a very narrow understanding of religions (themselves),” added Abdul Razak.
Islamophobia is similar to antisemitism
Abdul Razak said that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and a few other countries had shown leadership against Islamophobia, but that was not enough. He encouraged other Islamic countries to be more responsive toward this act of blasphemy. He also stressed that Islamophobia should be a criminal offense, notably in Muslim countries.
“Even in reaction, it is only a very few countries that have shown leadership, Turkey in particular, Saudi Arabia, and a few other countries. But anything that is islamophobic can be regarded as criminal. So, much like antisemitism, this is a criminal offense in many countries. We should also make Islamophobia a crime, particularly in Muslim countries.”
In that interview, Abdul Razak also warned that burning the Quran is useless. That is because burning another thousand or one million Qurans can never eliminate the teaching of Islam from the hearts and minds of Muslims.
Abdul Razak Ahmad, currently appointed as Special Representative of Malaysia’s Foreign Minister on Peace Building and Countering Islamophobia. He is the Founding Director of Bait Al-Amanah (House of Trust), a political development think tank in Kuala Lumpur. Abdul Razak was also a faculty member at the National Defence University Malaysia, teaching international security, international law, and global affairs.
Reporter: Teuku Zulman Sangga Buana
Editor: Muhajir Julizar
