The general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, has condemned efforts to incite violence against people who practise other faiths as “abhorrent and ungodly”.
“Freedom of religion is as much about Christian minorities in Muslim countries as it is about followers of Islam in countries where Christians are a majority,” Rev Dr Tveit added in a press release from the WCC in response to fliers encouraging people to take part in “Punish a Muslim Day”.
He added: “The freedom of religion and belief is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which this year celebrates its 70th anniversary and is also part of the constitutions of so many nations in the world. So, it is abhorrent and ungodly for any person from one faith to call for iniquitous acts against those belonging to another religion, merely because they follow that belief.”