Within the context of hate crimes, Islamophobia has existed for a long time and frequently comes to the fore. The fact that suspicion, discrimination and open hatred towards Muslims had reached “epidemic proportions" was clearly stated in the report dated 13 April 2021, published by the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. As a result of our country playing an active role in the fight against Islamophobia and intolerance towards Islam in the international arena and continuing the effort in this field, United Nations General Assembly declared that March 15 was to be observed as the "International Day for the Elimination of Islamophobia" in 2022, and the UN Human Rights Council described the attacks on the Quran as religious hatred on 12 July 2023. Despite these developments, attacks against Muslims and Islam which threaten social peace continues to appear in the news recently.
Within this framework, our Institution stated that such fascist actions would constitute a hate crime and condemned the heinous attacks in the press release on the permission of the burning of the Quran in Sweden, which was first published on 21 January 2023 in the written and visual media, and emphasized that the act of burning the Quran was not within the scope of freedom of expression.
Again, upon the news of permission for burning Quran in front of a mosque in Copenhagen Dortheavej on 27 January 2023 being seen on the news our Institution highlighted necessity of authorities making the necessary effort to establish social and global peace.
In the press release made by our Institution following the news of permission for burning Quran in front of the Turkish Embassy in Denmark on 26 March 2023 appeared in the media, we highlighted that efforts to combat global racism and Islamophobia which threaten global peace and social tranquility are not at the adequate level and called the international community to take a common stance.
Upon the Israeli security forces' raid on Masjid al-Aqsa on 5 April 2023, our Institution shared with the public a press release condemning the attacks on worshipers and places of worship. Our Institution condemned the acts which violate the freedom of religion and conscience and constitute religious discrimination with the press release regarding attacks against the mosque and Quran in Palestine on 23 June 2023.
In addition to the aforementioned press releases, due to the increasing Islamophobic incidents, our Institution sent a letter to 41 peer National Human Rights Institution officials, calling for institutional sensitivity regarding the human rights violations that could result from increasing Islamophobia and xenophobia.
As a result of the attacks against the Holy Quran in Sweden on 20 July 2023, our Institution reiterated its sensitivity on the issue in a press release and sent a letter to 46 peer National Human Rights Institution officials, stating that defending hatred based on religion, ethnic origin or race in such a way as to incite discrimination and hostility is incompatible with fundamental human rights principles; underlining that such archaic fascist discourses and actions targeting human dignity and sacred values fuel violence, xenophobia and marginalization in democratic societies based on pluralism and invited peer institutions to support the UN Human Rights Council's decision of 12 July 2023.
With the press statement made on 21 July 2023 regarding the burning of our holy book, the Holy Quran, in front of the Iraqi Embassy in Copenhagen, our Institution reiterated that that Islamophobia has reached a level of hostility that turns into radical discriminatory attitudes and that hate-motivated actions have reached alarming proportions; noting this, we once again called the relevant authorities to take immediate action in the face of fascist attacks that threaten Muslims' right to security and to make the necessary efforts to establish global peace and social tranquility.
The aforementioned attacks cause as much concern in the international society as they do in our country. Within this framework, a draft resolution which deplores all violence against holy books, religious spaces and persons because of their religion and as a violation of international law was unanimously adopted in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 25 July 2023. In the resolution, all acts of violence against persons due to their religion or belief, as well as acts of violence against persons' religious symbols, holy books, homes, workplaces, property, schools, cultural centers and places of worship, are strongly condemned as a violation of international law. (United Nations General Assembly, A/HRC/53/L.23).
Our Institution, main mission of which is to protect and promote human rights, prevent discrimination and raise awareness on this issue, strongly condemns the heinous reoccurring attacks against the Holy Quran which appear on the media and hopes that the aforementioned United Nations General Assembly Resolution becomes effective to end the attacks against sacred values.
Respectfully announced to the public.