Rabat: 17/03/2019

ISESCO Director General warns against growing extremism and hate speech against Muslims and calls international community to proclaim 15 March as international day for combating Islamophobia

Following the heinous terrorist attack perpetrated by an Australian terrorist on Friday 15 March opening fire at Muslim worshippers in two mosques in Christchurch, in the South of New Zealand, killing 50 people and seriously injuring more than 50, the Director General of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) Dr Abdulaziz Othman Altwaijri has warned against the growth of extremism and hate speech in the world against Muslims despite the great efforts exerted over the past three decades in the field of dialogue among cultures and alliance of  civilizations.

Dr Altwaijri affirmed that Islamophobia has become an international phenomenon with international spinoffs and harmful repercussions on the rights, security and safety of Muslim citizens in countries outside the Islamic world.

He added that governments and regional and international organizations are invited to intensify their efforts to fight this serious phenomenon that jeopardizes international peace and security, stating that it totally runs against the principles of the UN charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the relevant international declarations, agreements and conventions, especially Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). As such, he said, efforts should be intensified to fight this trend and promote the culture of dialogue, understanding, harmony, peaceful coexistence and alliance among the followers of different religions and cultures.

ISESCO Director General pointed out that the Resolution on Combating Defamation of Religions, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 11 April 2011, was the culmination of the efforts exerted by the Arab and Islamic group within the organs of the UN, including the UN Human Rights Council and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He further called upon the international community as a whole to fight this serious phenomenon because it does not only target Muslims and Islam, but also the human values that preach mutual respect and coexistence.

Accordingly, ISESCO Director General called on the UN to proclaim 15 March, date of this atrocious massacre, as the international day for combating Islamophobia in all its forms and manifestations.