RIYADH: The Muslim World League welcomed the UN announcement to adopt a resolution related to “dialogue between followers of religions and cultures and tolerance in the face of hate speech.” Secretary-General Sheikh Mohammad Al-Issa, who also chairs the Organization of Muslim Scholars, expressed the MWL’s praise for the international consensus that the draft resolution exhibits. It strongly condemns all acts of violence against people based on their religion or belief, as well as any such acts against their religious symbols, holy books, homes, or businesses, their property, schools, cultural centers, or places of worship, and all attacks on religious places, sites and shrines, which violate international law. Al-Issa said that defining religious symbols and holy books in this decision represents an important qualitative shift in international efforts to confront these crimes and a victory for the values of moderation. This includes respect for religious sanctities in light of the recent dangerous and disturbing escalation in the practices of overt and deliberate hatred against Muslims, the latest of which was the repeated desecration of copies of the Holy Qur’an in some countries under official protection to practice this provocation. He added that such behaviors reflect civilizational and moral backwardness and distort the conscious concept of freedom of expression. This hinders qualities the world seeks to strengthen such as love, harmony, and tolerance between nations and people. Al-Issa concluded that this resolution will contribute to reducing the dangers of practices that encourage hatred and provocation of religious feelings which only serve the agendas of extremism.