International Day of Combat
The
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) unanimously adopted a resolution designating
March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The resolution was
presented by Pakistan and was unanimously adopted.
There
were 57 members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation among the sponsors, including
China and Russia (OIC).
On
the other hand, India, France, and other nations expressed concern about the
resolution since it singled out Islam when religious intolerance is pervasive worldwide.
The
Indian Ambassador, TS Trimurti, expressed dissatisfaction with the resolution,
claiming that it did not include anti-Hindu bigotry, among other religious
prejudices, as a part of the modifications.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also thanked the Muslim community for their support.
On Twitter, he said, “Our voice against the increasing tide of Islamophobia was heard and the United Nations has accepted a historic resolution sponsored by Pakistan.”
“Today, the UN has finally acknowledged the terrible dilemma facing the world: of Islamophobia, respect for religious symbols and traditions, and restricting systematic hate speech and discrimination against Muslims,” said the premier.
Specifically, the resolution expresses strong opposition to any acts of violence committed against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as attacks on and within religious institutions that are considered to be violations of international humanitarian law.
Alarming
Growth of Islamophobia
At today’s UNGA-United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador Munir Akram (Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations) said that Islamophobia is an unavoidable reality of life.
“He emphasised the need of dealing with the problem, which he said was getting more frequent.
Prime Minister Imran Khan was the first to highlight the issue of Islamophobia in his “historic” 2019 speech to the United Nations General Assembly, according to Akram, and he has constantly called for international attention and action to address the issue.
He went on to say that all member states, relevant United Nations organisations, other international and regional organisations, civil society organisations, and faith-based organisations are urged to observe the International Day of Peace in an appropriate manner.
Islamophobia presents itself in a multitude of forms, according to the speaker’s opening address. These include hate speech, intolerance, and violence directed towards Muslims.
According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, “These acts of discrimination, hate, and violence against Muslim individuals and communities constitute grave violations of their human rights and violate their freedom of religion and belief.” According to the Pakistani envoy, “They also cause enormous pain across the Muslim world.” Pakistan.
According to a report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, there has been an increase in attacks on religious freedoms since September 11, 2001, the ambassador asserted “In recent years, institutions have grown more suspicious of Muslims, or those who are suspected of being Muslims.
The stigmatisation, negative stereotypes, and humiliation experienced by Muslim communities are common, as is a sense that they are suspicious groups obligated to bear collective responsibility for the activities of a small minority, all in the context of a climate of exclusionary policies, fear of the unknown, and suspicion “he explained.
I find the growth of Islamophobia disturbing since it is a new sort of racism characterised by xenophobia, negative profiling, and stereotyping of Muslims, among other characteristics “In a statement, Akram expressed his views.
The number of “hate crimes against Muslims, both offline and online,” as well as “discriminatory practises in education, citizenship and immigration, housing and healthcare sectors, among others,” has increased, according to him.
It was because of the way they dressed, he claimed, and because of a popular idea that Muslim women are oppressed and hence in need of liberation, that they were picked out for Islamophobia.
Pak Ambassador Opinion
In the opinion of Pakistan’s ambassador, it is “In particular, it is troubling that Islamophobia “continues to find significant resonance in political arenas, eventually contributing to the institutionalisation of Islamophobia through new legislation[s] and policies, such as discriminatory travel bans and visa restrictions.”
There have been a number of scholarly studies that have shown that Islamophobia is particularly widespread in the discourse of far-right and political parties and organisations, who use popular fear of Muslims to gain electoral advantage.
The resistance to immigration and refugee resettlement policies, he said, had taken on an overtly anti-Muslim tenor in certain countries, with anti-Muslim rhetoric becoming a central feature of their political campaigns.
It was a source of considerable concern to the ambassador because “propagating fear and ill stereotypes towards Islam and Muslims, in particular via operating as a venue for widespread dissemination of anti-Muslim propaganda,” as he put it.
Despite its broad prevalence, Islamophobia is still largely unacknowledged, [and] it is critical to promote greater awareness of the phenomena and its solutions via a deeper understanding of and total respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms “He went on to say something else.
Ambassador Objective List
The ambassador also provided an overview of the proposed resolution’s objectives, which he said were intended to be achieved. The following are the objectives of the project:
- The organization’s mission is to increase global awareness of the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim bigotry.
- Demonstrate that the globe is opposed to racism, xenophobia, negative stereotypes, and any kind of stigmatisation.
- Spreading a message of tolerance, peaceful coexistence, and interreligious and cultural harmony among all peoples, races, and nations is a priority.
- It is fitting that we commemorate this day in order to demonstrate our steadfast solidarity with the whole human race, to convey a strong message of respect for human dignity, and to reaffirm our common commitment to unity in diversity.
Objective of Resolution
“The objective of commemorating this day is to bring people together, not to divide them,” the ambassador said at the conclusion of his remarks.
