Islamabad, October 26, 2020 (PPI-OT):The Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) of Pakistan taking serious note of the recent blasphemous incidents insulting the Holy Prophet through republication of caricatures in France and the desecration of the Holy Quran in Norway and Sweden, Condemns in strongest terms the resurgence of blasphemous and Islamophobic acts by mischievous elements in some parts of the world; Expresses serious concern at the highly disturbing statements and hate-mongering by a few politicians in some countries, justifying unlawful provocation and insult to sentiments of more than a billion Muslims through such hate driven acts, under the garb of freedom of expression; Recognizes that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities, and that the dissemination of racist ideas, defamation and ridicule of other religions, hate speech, incitement to violence, hurting or insulting cannot be justified as legitimate exercise of this fundamental freedom; Greatly alarmed at the rising incidents of systematic Islamophobia around the world resulting in horrific violence and hate crimes against Muslims, even during the global pandemic; Recognizing with serious concern that Islamophobia has taken many forms including denigration of the Holy Prophet desecration of the Holy Quran, negative profiling by security agencies, killing of innocent people by cow vigilantes, attacks on women for wearing hijabs, ban on minarets, negative propaganda and disinformation campaigns by some media groups, manifestos of farright and neo-fascist parties that call for expulsion of Muslims, etc.;
Expresses concerns on the politicization of Islamophobia and hate speech against Muslims by some politicians for their partisan electoral and political gains; Condemns unequivocally the practice of blasphemy and of insulting Prophets of Islam, Christianity and Judaism alike; Condemns strongly all acts of terror or violence in the name of religion or belief; Deplores equating of Islam and Muslims with terrorism which goes against the international consensus and spirit of mutual respect and peaceful co-existence; Seriously concerned that illegal and Islamophobic acts fanning inter-religious hatred, hostility and confrontation, are the very basis of horrendous terrorist acts like Christchurch, thereby imperiling harmony and peaceful co-existence among civilizations; Appreciates the efforts undertaken by Pakistan at the United Nations and other multilateral fora for combatting intolerance, stigmatization, negative stereotyping and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief and also in highlighting the negative consequences of Islamophobia on the enjoyment of all human rights of Muslims; With the intention of effectively addressing the issue of Islamophobia,
1. Urges the Government to work within the OIC for designating 15 March as an International Day to Combat Islamophobia; 2. Further urges the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to closely engage with different regional and political groups for developing mutual understanding and respect for all religions, faiths and beliefs; 3. Calls on the Secretary General of the OIC to continue to monitor the phenomenon of Islamophobia and take necessary actions for presenting Islamic countries’ common position on the matter especially the issue of blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet and desecration of the Holy Quran; 4. Urges all non-OIC countries to review anti-Muslim discriminatory policies and to refrain from practices that fan intolerance, discrimination, hatred or associate Islam with terror or extremism and ban unlawful provocations; 5. Calls upon all non-OIC countries to provide legal avenues to Muslims residing in their territory for redressal of their genuine grievances.
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