Minister of Foreign Affairs Participates in Extraordinary Meeting of OIC Foreign Ministers to Discuss Repeated Desecration of Quran

Riyadh, July 31, 2023, SPA -- The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, participated virtually today in the Meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Member States of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting aimed to discuss the repeated desecration and burning of copies of the Holy Quran in several western countries, an issue brought forward by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as the current Chair of the Islamic Summit of OIC, alongside the Republic of Iraq.
In his speech during the meeting, the minister strongly condemned and denounced the repeated attacks on the sanctity of the Holy Quran. He emphasized that such provocative actions cannot be justified, as they violate international references and covenants that advocate harmony, peace, and rapprochement, and are in direct contradiction with international efforts that seek to spread the values of tolerance, moderation, and rejection of extremism.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan said, "The OIC has an important role in coordination, cooperation, and integration with various other Islamic organizations, to defend the values of tolerance and peace, protect and spread the true image of Islam, reject and combat intolerance and extremism, hatred, and violence." He referred to the efforts of OIC member states in adopting a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on "combating religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence", on July 12, 2023.
The minister also called on OIC member states to join efforts to take effective practical steps to combat these attacks, noting that the OIC charter stresses "protecting the true image of Islam and defending it, combating attempts to distort the image of Islam, and promoting interfaith and inter-civilizational dialogue".
The minister emphasized the significance of freedom of expression as a moral value that promotes respect and coexistence among people, rather than being used as a tool for sowing hatred and conflicts between cultures and nations. He stressed the importance of spreading the values of tolerance and moderation while denouncing all forms of practices that incite hatred and contribute to violence and extremism.
In attendance at the meeting were Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Eng. Waleed bin Abdulkarim El-Khereiji, Advisor at the Foreign Ministry's Multi International Affairs Agency Dr. Abdullah Al-Tayer, and Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the OIC Dr. Saleh Al-Suhaibani.
--SPA