The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has approved a resolution put forward by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), urging actions to address Islamophobia, which it asserts is regularly observed at societal and governmental levels.
The resolution, which proposes appointing a special envoy to tackle this issue, coincided with the International Day to Combat Islamophobia on March 15. This date marks the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand, where 51 individuals were killed during Friday prayers.
The initiative to establish a day dedicated to combating Islamophobia was also led by Pakistan for the OIC and was unanimously endorsed by the 193-member world body in 2022, with backing from 55 predominantly Muslim nations.
Pakistan’s top diplomat at the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, introduced the subsequent resolution, stressing that despite global recognition of the prevalence of Islamophobia, Muslims worldwide still face significant discrimination.
“Islamophobia has existed as long as Islam itself,” he remarked during his address to the world body. “It has been fueled by primitive fears and bias. It was exhibited through the racist subjugation and mistreatment of much of the Islamic world over the past few centuries.”
Akram highlighted that the issue became more pronounced after the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington.
“Despite the General Assembly’s approval of the resolution on Islamophobia two years ago, incidents of Islamophobia, discrimination, bias, and violence against Muslims and their sacred beliefs have increased significantly both in society and at the governmental level,” he added.
The Pakistani envoy highlighted instances where Muslims were discriminated against in various countries’ immigration policies and faced travel restrictions to different regions of the world. He also pointed out the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the failure of Western nations to call for an immediate ceasefire as examples of this problem.
Akram noted that Muslims were subjected to offensive acts such as the desecration of the Holy Qur’an, citing seven such incidents recorded just last year.
“For those who advocate for inter-religious and intercultural harmony, it is abundantly clear that bold and decisive measures are required to counter and combat Islamophobia,” he stated. “This is also the objective of the draft resolution.”
He emphasized that Muslims did not believe that deliberate acts of burning and desecrating their holy book could be justified in the name of freedom of expression, adding that the OIC had consistently urged for the criminalization of such actions.
The Pakistani representative underscored the importance of the UN appointing a special envoy to address the global issue of animosity against Muslims and their religion, highlighting this demand outlined in the resolution.
Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations later announced the resolution’s adoption in a social media post.
“In a significant development,” it stated, “the UN General Assembly has just adopted the Resolution on ‘Measures to Combat Islamophobia’. The resolution, among other things, calls for the appointment of the UN Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia. Pakistan facilitated the resolution on behalf of the OIC.”
