With the intention of taking “real action in the face of escalating intolerance, discrimination, and violence against Muslims,” the United Nations is honoring March 15 as the International Day to Fight Islamophobia.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres asserted that the action is “a call for action to root out anti-Muslim prejudice”. “Discrimination makes us all less. We have to fight back against it,” he wrote on Twitter. We must recognize our shared humanity in order to fight the forces of divisiveness both today and every day. The International Day to Fight Islamophobia was established by a unanimous vote of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) last year.
The first International Day to Combat Islamophobia is a call for action to stamp out the poison of anti-Muslim hatred.
Discrimination diminishes us all. We must stand up against it.
Today & every day, we must counter the forces of division by reaffirming our common humanity.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 15, 2023
Pakistan had proposed the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The UN stated that “suspicion, discrimination, and outright hate towards Muslims had reached ‘epidemic proportions’,” according to a recent report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief. According to a UN report, Muslims in countries where they are a minority frequently face discrimination in terms of access to goods and services, employment opportunities, and educational opportunities. The report also notes that in some countries, Muslims are denied citizenship or legal immigration status because of negative foreign perceptions that Muslims pose a threat to the country’s security.
According to the UN, Islamophobic hate crimes attack Muslim women disproportionately. Heisam Galyon, a member of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, stated, “That suggests to me that we really have a problem, a significant problem, for the UN to come out and realize that Islamophobia is a worldwide issue and to talk against it. Galyon claimed that spreading the word around the world is the only way to combat Islamophobia in a phone conversation with Anadolu news agency. “We must discuss it. If you don’t bring up a problem, it won’t get solved.
The president of the UN General Assembly, Csaba Korosi, also stated that “Islamophobia is rooted in xenophobia, or the fear of strangers, which is reflected in discriminatory practices, travel bans, hate speech, bullying, and targeting of other people,” and he urged nations to uphold religious freedom and combat the prejudice. The obligation to combat Islamophobia and other related phenomena rests with every one of us, according to Korosi. We must also expose injustice and denounce discrimination based on one’s faith or philosophical beliefs, or lack thereof. Last week, the Turkish ambassador to the UN claimed that Islamophobia has become a “serious threat to democracy” and vandalism of the holy Quran and mosques is “on the rise”. Islamophobia is a genuine and growing problem, according to Sedat Onal.
- Misleading Video Alters Prime Minister Shehbaz’s Speech Targeting Political Rival, Not His Party - 21/04/2024
- ATC Grants Three-Day Remand for Suspects in Ichhra Bazaar Harassment Case - 19/03/2024
- Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh Lead World in Severe Smog Crisis, Exceeding WHO Guidelines - 19/03/2024
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.othernews.pk/first-international-day-against-islamophobia-observed-internationally/&media=https://www.othernews.pk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/28_United_Against_Islamophobia_47462060781-e1678865372730.jpeg&description=With the intention of taking "real action in the face of escalating intolerance, discrimination, and violence against Muslims," the United Nations is honoring March 15 as the International Day to Fight Islamophobia.){kind=link}