Church leaders in Pakistan have condemned some Muslims painting images of the Swedish flag on squat toilets to protest last month's Quran-burning incident in Stockholm.
The Church's reaction came after a video went viral on social media, showing Muslims applauding the paintings of the flag – a yellow cross on a field of light blue – on the toilets.
“We certainly condemn it. All are called to respect each other's religion and religious symbols," Archbishop Joseph Arshad, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, told UCA News.
He said respecting every religion was the "only way can we build a peaceful society and the world.”
Christian leaders in the Islamic nation have condemned the June 28 burning of the Quran outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm by Iraqi immigrant Salwan Momika.
The incident has sparked outrage across the Muslim world, including the Muslim-majority Pakistan.
Father Mario Angelo Rodrigues, dean of St. Patrick High School in Karachi, said publicly insulting a national flag is no way to protest.
“This is nonsense. It is useless to say anything to them. They don’t understand at all,” he said.
The video posted by an activist of Tehreek-e-Labbiak Pakistan (TLP), an Islamic extremist political party, showed the Swedish flag painted on squat toilets in Lahore, the second largest city in Pakistan.
The video went viral across the nation last weekend.
“I have painted two of these [squat toilets] at my house. This is their worth. If they don’t stop, we will do worse," says the owner of the house in the video, showing another video on his mobile of a similar toilet with a bathroom rug bearing the Swedish flag.
"This should be [done] everywhere at bus stops, mosques, and shrines,” he adds.
The Ecumenical Commission for Human Development in Pakistan, in a July 12 statement, urged the authorities to monitor the ongoing protests in the country.
“As Christians, we have registered our protest [against Quran burning] and expressed solidarity with our Muslim brothers across the country,” it said.
“But our sentiments have been hurt after watching this video," said James Rehmat, executive director of the Ecumenical Commission in the statement.
"We request you to take appropriate action against concerned people as per law so that the faith of any citizen is not insulted like this,” it added.
Thousands of Muslims rallied on the streets across Pakistan on July 7 and burned the Swedish national flag after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif asked people to protest against the desecration of the Quran.
Many Christians also joined the protests.
All seven Catholic bishops in Pakistan, including Archbishop Arshad, condemned the Quran desecration and urged the international community to stop religious hatred.
On July 3, Father Rodrigues held a press conference with the governor of Sindh province to condemn the Sweden event.
Muslims consider the desecration of the Quran blasphemy, which is an extremely sensitive subject in Pakistan.
The Lahore-based Center for Social Justice has noted that at least 1,949 persons have been accused of blasphemy between 1987 and 2021. Many of these cases are still awaiting justice.
This year, 57 cases of alleged blasphemy have been reported till May 15.