The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has suspended the status of the Special Envoy of Sweden to the OIC in view of steps to review the official framework linking the General Secretariat to any country in which copies of the Holy Qur'an or other Islamic values and symbols are desecrated.In a statement, the OIC General Secretariat said that OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha conveyed this decision in a letter addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden.The statement added that the decision to suspend the status of the Special Envoy of Sweden to the OIC was taken in line with the recommendations of the Final Communique, issued by the OIC Executive Committee's extraordinary meeting held on July 2, 2023. The meeting asked the Secretary-General to consider possible steps to review the official framework linking the General Secretariat to any country in which copies of the Holy Qur'an or other Islamic values and symbols are desecrated with the consent of the authorities concerned, including suspending the status of the Special Envoy.On the other hand, the Secretary-General welcomed the measures taken by some Member States to protest against the repeated attacks on Islamic sanctities.He called on all Member States to take the sovereign decisions they deem appropriate to express their position condemning the granting by the Swedish authorities of licenses that enabled the repeated abuse of the sanctity of the Holy Qur'an and Islamic symbols, and to express the OIC states' rejection of such disgraceful acts under the pretext of freedom of expression.
July 24, 2023 | 10:07 AM