DAP’s Kasthuri Patto has urged the Foreign Ministry to summon Afghanistan's envoy to Malaysia and Iran’s ambassador to Malaysia, respectively, for human rights violations.
Kasthuri, in a tweet this morning, made the call after Wisma Putra summoned the Charge d’Affaires ad interim of the Swedish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur to reaffirm the country’s strong condemnation over a Swedish-Danish extremist politician Rasmus Paludan’s “vile act” of burning a copy of the al-Quran in Stockholm.
“Next is for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to summon the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan for gross violations of women and child rights.
“And the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran on human rights violations, including using the death penalty as a political tool to silence voices of dissent,” Kasthuri (above), the former MP for Batu Kawan, tweeted.
Last week, Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party leader Paludan courted controversy after he burnt a copy of the holy book in Stockholm, Sweden, triggering a global outcry.
His party, which was founded in 2017, has contested in both Denmark and Sweden but has failed to garner a single seat and garnered only a handful of votes.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim demanded the Swedish government takes action against the Islamophobic act of the politician, which he described as a grave provocation to Muslims all over the world.
Wisma Putra, in a statement yesterday, had conveyed Malaysia’s objection and disappointment with the Swedish authorities’ continuous refusal to take action, allowing Paludan to indulge in his foul antics, including a similar incident in April 2022, despite strong protests from the international community.
The statement said the ministry urged the Swedish authorities to take serious measures to combat all forms of violence and hatred against Islam in Sweden.
It added that the spirit of peaceful coexistence in a multi-religious society could be undermined if Islamophobia and xenophobia continue to prevail.
While the ministry takes note of the briefing session hosted by Swedish Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Knutsson on Jan 23, which was attended by representatives from embassies of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries in Stockholm, including Malaysia, it further called for concrete initiatives by the Swedish government to streamline its position in respecting the Muslim community as a whole.
“The charge d'affaires of the Swedish Embassy took note of the Malaysian government's protest and would convey it to Stockholm” it added.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, women’s rights have been undermined.
According to a report by Modern Diplomacy, girls are not allowed to go to high school and women are not permitted to enrol in or teach at colleges, due to restrictions put in place by the Taliban.
In December 2022, the Taliban banned women from working for local and international non-profit organisations.
According to Amnesty International, there has been a significant increase in the number of women who have been imprisoned for defying discriminatory rules, such as those mandating women to cover their whole bodies in public and to only appear with male chaperones.
Modern Diplomacy also reported that the number of child marriages has increased.
As for Iran, United Nations Human Rights chief Volker Türk said criminal proceedings and the death penalty are being weaponised by the Iranian government to punish individuals participating in protests and to strike fear into the population so as to stamp out dissent.
In a statement on Jan 10, Türk said thousands have been detained since the nationwide protests erupted last September following the death of Jina Mahsa Amini.
Jina died shortly after she was arrested for improperly wearing her hijab.
Hundreds have died in the government crackdown against the demonstrators. - Mkini
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