NEW YORK: Quran burnings that have taken place in several countries are nothing but clear Islamophobic acts intended to incite hatred, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said today.
He said inaction by the world community in the face of such blatant provocation to a religion was irresponsible and sends a dangerous message to humanity.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Anwar said Malaysia is concerned over the emergence of a “new form of racism” characterised by xenophobia, negative profiling, and stereotyping of Muslims.
“This is manifested in an alarming trend of hatred, intolerance, and acts of violence against Muslims and their sanctities,” he said.
Malaysia was appalled by the legitimisation of these acts under the “feeble defence of human rights”.
The prime minister, clad in a light blue Baju Melayu complete with a gold-threaded sampin, said the world must embody the values of acceptance, tolerance, and mutual respect, as well as promote intercultural, inter-civilisation, and inter-religious understanding and cooperation.
“We must unite our faiths in common cause to promote understanding and goodwill among our peoples, and strengthen peace and harmony among nations,” he said.
“What we need is trust and the conviction to make the world a better place, the will to work together on a platform of consensus and solidarity,” he emphasised.
On Wednesday, Anwar and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan strongly condemned the recent burnings of the Quran and populist discourse that incite hate speech against Islam.