Africa-Press – Zambia. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday said the disrespect shown towards sacred texts following the attack on the Quran outside the Turkish Center in New York was “abhorrent.”
“While we find the act of desecrating any religious texts to be abhorrent, the US supports freedom of expression as an essential element of any democracy and as enshrined in the First Amendment to the US Constitution,” the secretary said in a statement to Anadolu.
The statement, which said that details of the incident were not being pursued and no comments were to be made on the matter, conveyed that the US condemned acts of hate and highlighted that such actions could harm individuals.
“We have expressed our deep concern with acts of desecration to the Holy Quran, and we repeat those sentiments. We categorically call out anti-Muslim hatred wherever it occurs,” the statement added.
In the statement, concerns previously expressed by the US regarding attacks on the Quran were reiterated, with reference to President Joe Biden’s words in May.
”Confront(ing) … Islamophobia is a priority for my administration … Standing up against anti-Muslim hate is essential to who we are as a country founded on freedom and justice for all,” Biden had said.
Also, the statement highlighted the need for efforts to create a more “inclusive” environment for religious minority groups and called for “peaceful and open dialogue” regarding attacks on the Quran.
A person who had come to the front of the Turkish Consulate General in New York had kicked and thrown the Quran onto the ground.
The Turkish Center security personnel intervened and removed this individual from the premises.
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