Muslim nations should work collectively to counter rising wave of Islamophobia, PM Khan tells OIC

(Karachi) Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the Orga­nisation of Islamic Coopera­tion (OIC) to deal with the rising wave of Islamophobia by educating people around the world about Muslim religious sensitivities.

Addressing ambassadors of countries belonging to the OIC to discuss ways to combat Islamophobia and promote interfaith harmony in Islamabad on Tuesday, Imran said that there is a need to counter the increasing wave of radicalism through coordinated efforts.

He said marginalization is leading to radicalization and this vicious cycle continued to create increasing space for extremists on all sides.

He maintained that the West maligns the entire Muslim world when a terrorism incident occurs which is absolutely wrong. “An act of any individual should not be called an act of the entire Ummah,” he added.

Imran pointed out that Islam and the whole Muslim world strongly condemns terrorism by anyone and in any form and manifestation. He stated that blaming the whole Muslim Ummah for an act of an individual is not right and linking Islam with terrorism is absolutely unjustified.

Briefing the envoys, the prime minister said that Pakistan made efforts at international forum to create awareness about Islamophobia and the need to counter it through collective efforts.

He said that Pakistan has always promoted mutual understanding and interfaith harmony. “Falsely equating Islam with radicalism and terrorism was leading to marginalization and stigmatization of Muslims,” he mentioned.

The PM said that condemnation of Islamic preceptions and religious personalities has hurt sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims. He said the statements at the leadership level and incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran were a reflection of increasing Islamophobia, spreading in European countries where sizeable Muslim populations resided.

He urged the OIC to work together for making the international community understand the deep-rooted love and reverence of all Muslims for the Holy Prophet and the Quran.

The premier also underlined the need for instituting legal safeguards aimed at protecting the sensitivities of all religious groups and underscored the imperative of OIC’s collective efforts to project the true image of Islam and its message of peace and tolerance.

He reaffirmed that Pakistan remained committed to dialogue and cooperation with all members of the international community for promoting universal values of tolerance, mutual respect, and peaceful co-existence among all nations and peoples.