TOKYO, May 23,2001 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Pakistani embassy said Wednesday it had appealed to the Japanese government to act over a spate of anti-Muslim racist incidents including the desecration of the Holy Qu'ran.

The request followed an incident Monday in which leaflets denigrating Islamic culture and torn copies of the Qu'ran were found in front of a Pakistani-owned used car dealership in central Japan. 

The Pakistani embassy protested to the foreign ministry over the incident in Kosugimachi, 250 kilometers (155 miles) northwest of Tokyo, diplomat Muhammad Mudassir Tipu told AFP. 

"We said we hope the incident will not evolve into a more emotional issue for Pakistanis in Japan," said Tipu, the second secretary at the embassy. 

"We asked the Japanese government to investigate the matter under Japanese law." 

The embassy has also appealed for the arrest of anyone involved in the desecrations, reported the BBC.

A foreign ministry official said the ministry had forwarded the request to police in Toyama, the prefecture where the racist incident took place. 

"We hope the matter will be solved soon," the official said, asking not to be named. 

More than 200 Muslims from across Japan gathered in front of local government buildings and police headquarters in Toyama Tuesday to press for the culprit to be found. 

"This is not just an issue for Pakistanis living in Toyama. It affects all Muslims around the world," said Tokyo-based Muhammad Amin, 32, a senior member of the Islamic Circle of Japan. 

"Discrimination against foreigners happens all the time in Japan," he said.

The major religions in the country are Shintoism and Buddhism. 

The vandalization of the Qu'ran was the latest in a yearlong series of incidents targeting Muslim residents in Toyama - many of them Pakistani auto dealers exporting Japanese vehicles to Russia, Amin said.

Several copies of the Qu'ran were stolen from a mosque in Toyama about a week ago. The copies seemed to have been torn and left in front of the car dealership, along with derogatory printed flyers, he said.

"We want the people of Japan to listen to us. It [the Qu'ran] is not just a book. I am not sure if police understood the point," Amin said. 

Examples of other incidents include racist groups driving up to Muslim-run businesses in vehicles rigged with loudspeakers, demanding their owners leave town, he said. 

"We have repeatedly asked the local police for protection. But nothing happened."

A Toyama police spokesman said the issue was sensitive, as it required a balance to be struck between freedom of speech and the protection of the local Muslim community. 

"We received requests [to investigate] from Pakistani residents, who told us that the books are holy and more important than life for them," the spokesman said. 

"We have conducted an initial investigation into the book-tearing incident. We are still studying the matter."

Amin said Muslims were organizing another protest in Tokyo for Friday over the desecration of the Qu'ran.

There are roughly 150 Pakistanis living in Toyama prefecture out of a total of 10,000 in all Japan, most of whom live in and around Tokyo or Osaka, the diplomat said.

Source : http://www.islamonline.net/english/News/2001-05/24/article2.shtml