WASHINGTON D.C – Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Dr. Maleeha Lodhi says the deadly terrorist attack on two mosques in New Zealand was another grim reminder of the Islamophobia sweeping the world.
Addressing delegates attending the UN Commission on Status of Women, she linked the attack to stereotyping, which she argued can be seriously consequential as it can lead to misperceptions, demonization and even violence.
The Pakistani envoy said it is a slippery slope when Muslims are stereotyped and mischaracterized, sometimes deliberately by those who engage in hate speech.