The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (July 02, 2023) summoned Jakob Etaat, Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) at the Swedish Embassy in Dhaka, to protest burning of a copy of the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm. Salwan Momika, said to be an Iraqi living in Sweden, set fire to a copy of Islam’s holy book outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, according to BBC. Earlier on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the “deplorable act” in a statement published on the ministry’s official Facebook page. Also read: Dhaka strongly condemns burning of Quran outside Mosque in Sweden “Bangladesh expressed grave concern over such heinous acts of insulting the sacred values and religious symbols of the Muslims in the name of ‘freedom of expression,’” the statement read. “Bangladesh yet again urged all concerned to put an end to such unwarranted provocations for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence,” the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs added. Also read: Sweden arrest 5 suspected of terror, ties to Quran burning The Quran burning was condemned by many Muslim-majority countries. Meanwhile, the Swedish government said it strongly rejects the Islamophobic act committed by individuals in Sweden. This act in no way reflects the opinions of the Swedish government, according to the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also read: Bangladesh strongly condemns burning of Holy Quran in Denmark

Bangladesh has strongly condemned the recent abhorrent act of desecrating a copy of the Holy Quran yet again in the Netherlands by a far-right activist. Bangladesh expressed "grave concern" over repetition of such heinous act in the Netherlands within a month’s time in the name of ‘right to protest’, ‘freedom of expression’ or ‘human rights’. Also read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body Bangladesh once again urged all concerned to put an end to such unwarranted provocations and to respect the sacred values and religious symbols of the Muslims - for that matter of all religions - for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.  

Bangladesh has strongly condemned the recent act of desecrating the Holy Quran by a far-right activist in The Hague, Netherlands. Bangladesh has expressed grave concern over the incident and rejects any act of insulting the sacred values and religious symbols of the Muslims — for that matter of all religions — all over the world under any circumstances, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more: Bangladesh condemns desecration of the Holy Quran by far-right activist in The Hague Bangladesh urged all concerned to put an end to such unwarranted provocations and Islamophobia for the sake of harmony and peaceful coexistence.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader has warned that those involved in the Cumilla incident (desecration of holy Quran) will be brought to justice and no one offender will be spared. “It’s an act of an evil communal force, and those who attack Hindu temples won’t be spared either, even if they belong to any party,” Obaidul Quader said while addressing the Mahastami (8th day) of Durga Puja at KIB premises in the capital on Wednesday evening. He said a united resistance has to be built against those who want to destroy the communal harmony in the country before the national election. Read: “Desecration of holy Quran” in Cumilla, govt urges calm Mentioning that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set a unique example of communal harmony in Bangladesh, the AL leader said Durga Puja has become universal as it is being observed in a festive mood across the country. Obaidul Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, said the Puja is now being celebrated in about 30,000 to 35,000 mandaps across the country and this has caused a heartburn among the evil forces that want to destroy the atmosphere of communal harmony. Obaidul Quader called upon all to remain united and alert so that no one can create chaos or attack any temple.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Md Faridul Haque Khan has urged the people of the country to exercise restraint and not to take law into their own hands over the reported desecration of the holy Quran in Cumilla. “Don’t take law into your own hands. Everyone should maintain religious harmony and peace,” he said in an emergency announcement on Wednesday evening. Read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body

Since the dawn of civilization, faith and sense of life have always inspired the human kind around the world to bring out creativity and innovations. By virtue of extraordinary effort, some arts and culture have been immortalized throughout the ages. For instance, a new history is going to be made by creating the largest Holy Quran on earth. The over-the-top project has already started with a big team based in Karachi in Pakistan. Let's get to learn about the details of this wonderful handicraft. The project of the gold-encrusted world's largest Holy Quran Quran is the prime religious text of Islam, the world's second-largest religion. The religion has more than 1.9 billion followers covering about 24.9 percent of the world's total population known as Muslims. It is believed by Muslims that the Holy Quran is the revelation from Allah (God). This religious scripture is also honored as the finest work in classical Arabic literature. For centuries, the worshipers have crafted the holy Quran in diverse sizes and forms using versatile materials. Read 'Beautifully Me': Nabela Noor's book will teach you self-love In this legacy, Shahid Rassam, a renowned Pakistani sculptor and painter, has taken up the task of creating the world's largest holy Quran. Another specialty of this project is that the letters of the Holy Quran will be made of gold on a high-quality aluminum canvas. About two thousand kg of aluminum will be used for five-hundred-and-fifty pages and about 200 kg gold for eighty thousand characters. One-hundred-and-fifty letters will be placed on each page of this huge Holy Quran, which is 6.5 feet long and 8.5 feet wide excluding the frame. Shahid Rassam's team has been working for five years to complete this great handicraft work by 2025. Shahid Rassam is bearing the cost of the entire project. However, his friends are also helping him to accomplish this great task. Read 'Vistula 1st Polish Film-Festival Bangladesh 2021' begins online This is the first time in the history of Islam, more than 1400 years old, that such a huge gold-encrusted Holy Quran is going to be built.

India's Supreme Court Monday (April 12, 2021) dismissed a petition seeking removal of certain verses from the Muslim holy book of Quran for allegedly "preaching violence against non-believers". The apex court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on the petitioner, Syed Wasim Rizvi, a former head of the Shia Waqf Board in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, for filing the "absolutely frivolous" petition. "We have heard the counsel and dismiss the petition as it is absolutely frivolous,” said Justice RF Nariman, who led a three-judge bench hearing the plea. He also asked the petitioner's counsel to deposit the fine of Rs 50,000 as court expenses.  Read Hill Cutting: CDA contractor fined Tk 5.23cr In his public interest litigation (PIL) plea, Rizvi, alleged that as many as 26 verses in the holy book “promote violence”, and were not part of the original Quran, but added in later revisions. The verses in question were: Verse 2 Surah 191, Verse 3 Surah 151, Verse 4 Surah 56, Verse 4 Surah 89, Verse 4 Surah 101, Verse 5 Surah 51, Verse 5 Surah 14, Verse 5 Surah 57, Verse 8 Surah 65, Verse 8 Surah 69, Verse 9 Surah 5 and Verse 9 Surah 14. Others included Verse 9 Surah 23; Verse 9 Surah 28, Verse 9 Surah 29, Verse 9 Surah 37, Verse 9 Surah 58, Verse 9 Surah 111, Verse 9 Surah 123, Verse 21 Surah 98, Verse 32 Surah 22, Verse 33 Surah 61, Verse 41 Surah 27, Verse 41 Surah 28, Verse 48 Surah 20 and Verse 66 Surah 9. Also read: No evidence of disrespecting Quran found: Probe body As per the petition, Islam is based on concepts of equality and tolerance but is “drifting away from its basic tenets” due to “extreme interpretation of the said verses … and is now identified with militancy, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism". The petitioner also asked for the federal government and Madrasa Boards across the country to be “called upon to ensure what steps are taken to avoid literal teaching of the verses advocating violence". Last month, police in Uttar Pradesh's  Bareilly town booked Rizvi under the Indian Penal Code for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of Muslims by filing the petition in the Supreme Court. Read Quran recitation, prayers to stop coronavirus in Ramadan: Hefazat Ameer

The holy Shab-e-Barat, the night of fortune and forgiveness, was observed in the country on Monday night with due religious fervour. According to Muslim belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night when Allah arranges the affairs of the following year. On this night, Allah writes the destinies of all the creations for the coming year by taking into account their past deeds. Also read: Shab-e-Barat holiday rescheduled to March 30 Muslim devotees offered special prayers, recited from the Holy Quran seeking divine blessings for the wellbeing of mankind. They passed the whole night offering prayers. This year worshipers offered prayers following health protocols amid a growing number of coronavirus cases and an alarming uptrend in the daily infection rate. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private TV channels and radio stations aired special programmes while newspapers published articles highlighting the significance of the night. Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.

The Lailatul Qadr or Shab-e-Qadr, the holiest and most blessed night for Muslims, will be observed across the country tonight with due solemnity and religious fervour.