Imran Khan calls for effective measures to counter Islamphobia

NEW YORK: Speaking at a high-level round-table discussion on “Countering Hate Speech” in the United Nations (UN) alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, PM Imran Khan said that terrorism has nothing to do with any religion but it is the marginalization of any community that leads to radicalization, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Noting the growing incidents of discrimination and violence, the prime minister underscored the importance of addressing both the catalysts and consequences of the phenomena.

Imran Khan maintained that terrorism has nothing to do with any religion but sadly, some western leaders associated suicide bombings and acts of terror with Islam and coined terms like ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ and ‘Islamic extremism’ for political benefits without taking into consideration how this behaviour might give rise to Islamophobia.

Prime Minister Imran Khan also called for effective measures to counter hate speech and Islamophobia in the west.

He cautioned against attempts to denigrate revered personalities and scriptures cloaked in the ‘right to freedom of expression’ and opinion.

There is a need for promoting greater understanding and tolerance among and between communities across the world, said Khan.

Addressing the event, the Turkish President said, that hate speech was the worst kind of crime against humanity, those that incite violence committed injustice.

He also added that Muslims across the globe had faced the worst kind of hate speech, discrimination, and persecution.

Terrorism has nothing to do with any religion: PM Imran Khan