ISLAMABAD:The Pakistani foreign office said on Monday Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had attended an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to address repeated incidents of the desecration of the Qur’an and reaffirmed his commitment to work with the body against Islamophobia.

Sweden and Denmark have seen several protests in recent weeks where copies of the Qur’an have been damaged or burned, causing outrage among Muslims. Sweden’s embassy in Baghdad was stormed and set ablaze by angry protesters last month.

Both Sweden and Denmark have said they deplore the burning of the Qur’an but cannot prevent it under rules protecting free speech.

“FM @BBhuttoZardari attended 18th Extraordinary Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation @OIC_OCI held in virtual mode today,” the foreign office said.

“Extraordinary CFM was convened to discuss recurring acts of desecration of the Holy Qur’an.”

In a detailed statement, the FO said Bhutto-Zardari condemned “Islamophobic and hateful acts of desecration of the Holy Qur’an, which manifested religious hatred and intolerance.”

“He underscored that these acts, and the permission to carry them out, did not constitute freedom of expression,” the statement said. “The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to work closely with OIC member countries especially in Jeddah, Geneva, and New York to highlight concerns about the willful acts of the burning and desecration of the Holy Qur’an.”

Demark’s Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen told the national broadcaster on Sunday the government would seek to find “a legal tool” that would enable authorities to prevent the burning of copies of the Qur’an in front of other countries’ embassies.

At Monday’s OIC meeting, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan called on member states to unite in efforts to take practical and effective steps to confront protests involving the desecration of the Qur’an.

Prince Faisal said efforts by OIC states had resulted in the UN Human Rights Council adopting a resolution on July 12 that condemned and strongly rejected any advocacy and manifestation of religious hatred, including public and premeditated acts of desecration of the holy Qur’an.

The FM said freedom of expression should be a moral value that spread respect and coexistence among people and not be used as a tool to spread hatred and clashes between cultures.