Tatarstan President and Chairman of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia - Islamic World" Rustam Minnikhanov on behalf of the members of the Group sent letters to the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden and the Netherlands in Russia, condemning the acts of vandalism against the Quran that took place in these countries.
"On January 21, 2023, in Stockholm and on January 23, 2023, in The Hague, two outrageous acts of vandalism desecrating the Quran took place.
In Russia, which has gone down in the history of world Islamic civilization as the progenitor and one of the centers of Quranic printing, this action shocked not only Muslims, but also representatives of other religions. While our country carefully preserves the customs of the traditional world religions, in the center of supposedly enlightened Europe they openly mock the Holy Book, forgetting that it was sent down to all mankind!
In the civilized world it is customary to respect the religious feelings of our neighbors, to honor their cultural traditions and their faith. That is the basic value of any normal society.
Freedom of speech and expression, which allows trampling someone else's spiritual values and moral foundations, is a serious threat that can destroy any society. A civilization that allows public insult to faith will inevitably experience moral decay and degradation. Unfortunately, recent events in Sweden and the Netherlands have only been examples of continued outrages against the feelings of believers.
It is extremely unfortunate that these horrible actions took place with the tacit approval of the authorities and with the connivance of law enforcement agencies.
There can be no justification for desecrating sacred religious books. This is an insult to Muslims around the world, a mockery of their faith and an act of xenophobia, which has nothing to do with democracy and universal human values.
We, the members of the Group of Strategic Vision "Russia - Islamic world", together with millions of Muslims around the world condemn the mentioned insulting acts and believe that such provocations must be stopped by the most resolute means," wrote Rustam Minnikhanov in his letters.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Republic of Tatarstan