Pakistan urges OIC states to step up efforts for combating Islamophobia

ISTANBUL: Pakistan on Saturday urged member states of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to step up efforts for combating Islamophobia rising gradually across the world, ARY News reported.

This was stated by Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb while addressing the 12th Session of Islamic Conference of Information Ministers.

“The abhorrent phenomenon of Islamophobia is not abating. In our region – South Asia – hate speech and hate crimes against Muslims remain a source of increasing concern,” she said while addressing the conference.

She added: “Despite our efforts to the contrary, there has been a constant rise manifested in mob lynching, pre-planned communal riots, and negative portrayal in electronic and social media in India.”

As a representative of the collective aspirations of the Muslim Ummah, she stressed, the OIC was uniquely poised to lead the endeavour, and must throw its full political and economic weight and clout in protecting the fundamental rights of Muslims and interests of Muslim minorities across the globe.

Marriyum Aurangzeb put forward multiple recommendations coupled with observations regarding the challenges faced by the Muslims, especially their faith Islam in the information domain.

The minister highlighted deliberate use of instruments of information control that define perceptions about Islam and the Muslims. She cited that many Muslim countries now had independent media which had made inroads into the people’s minds about stereotyped image of Islam.

“Information colonialism has to be fought,” she said, suggesting that a new independent information regime established. “More needs to be done in terms of creating information synergies among the Muslim states.”

The Muslim states should look within, and tackle those currents and trends at home that were feeding misperceptions about Islam and the Muslim societies, she stressed.

“More democracy, more public participation, more inclusivity and focus on freedom of speech that is culturally sensitive and internationally projectable should be our goal to tackle the motivated misrepresentation,” she said while highlighting the steps required for taking the hate-mongers to the task.

She further said, “We must fight fake news with real news; fight bots with real people’s aspirations and fight trolls with genuine polls. Laws are needed to identify and prosecute promoters of hate and deception. However, we must continue to uphold basic freedoms.”

The minister emphasized that the OIC member states must capitalize on the momentum generated by the adoption of the United Nations General Assembly resolution, designating 15th March as the ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia’.

The OIC Secretary General, she said, should accord priority to appointment of a Special Envoy on Islamophobia, as mandated by last the Council of Foreign Ministers’ resolution in Islamabad.

The formation of an OIC-led panel of experts, she added, would be useful to advise the Organization in dealing with incidents of Islamophobia as well as providing support to its victims.

She said Pakistan believed that the significance of OIC’s efforts in combating disinformation in the post-truth era could not be overemphasized. “We reiterate our commitment to the principles and goals enshrined in the OIC-2025 Programme of Action on Media and Public Diplomacy, and we are also committed to ensure capacity building and sharing of best practices within OIC.”