The UN General Assembly Tuesday adopted a Pakistan-introduced resolution, declaring March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia, saying the proclamation is designed to foster a culture of tolerance and peace globally.
Pakistan had moved the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and it was passed unanimously by the 193-member UN Assembly.
The resolution deplores all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief and such acts directed against their places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites, and shrines that are in violation of international law.
“Islamophobia is a reality,” Ambassador Munir Akram, permanent representative of Pakistan while making the case that it must be addressed.
The diplomat noted that Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first to raise the issue of Islamophobia at the U.N. in his historic 2019 address to the General Assembly and has since called for international action to address it.
With the adoption of the resolution by consensus, several members states hailed the document, but representatives of India, France, and the European Union expressed some reservations. They noted that while religious intolerance was prevalent all over the world, it singles out only Islam and excludes others. Indian Ambassador to the world body T.S. Trimurti complained that the resolution does not cover anti-Hindu phobia, among other religions.
Ambassador Akram pointed out that Islamophobia’s manifestations – hate speech, discrimination, and violence against Muslims- were proliferating in several parts of the world.
“Such acts of discrimination, hostility, and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities constitute grave violations of their human rights and violate their freedom of religion and belief; they also cause great anguish within the Islamic world,” the Pakistan envoy said.
“The spread of Islamophobia, both in terms of the phenomenon’s momentum and outreach, is particularly alarming these days, for it has emerged as a new form of racism characterized by xenophobia, negative profiling, and stereotyping of Muslims,” Akram said.
“The rise in hate crimes against Muslims both offline and online, as well as discrimination in education, citizenship, immigration, employment, housing, and healthcare sector, among others are well documented. The gender aspect of Islamophobia is also gaining prominence, with girls and women being targeted due to the mode of their dress and the general notion that Muslim women are oppressed and thus must be ‘liberated’.”
The sponsors of the resolution say it seeks to raise international awareness about the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred; send a clear message that the world opposes all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, negative stereotyping, and stigmatization; to promote the message of tolerance, peaceful co-existence, and interfaith and cultural harmony among all religions, races, and nations; to demonstrate by commemorating this Day unfettered solidarity with all humanity, convey a strong message of respect for human dignity, and reiterate our common commitment to ‘unity in diversity’.
