New York: The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tuesday adopted by consensus a resolution introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) that proclaims March 15 as "International Day to Combat Islamophobia".
The resolution was sponsored by 57 members of the OIC, and eight other countries, including China and Russia.
The day coincides with the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019 when 51 innocent Muslim worshippers were killed.
To mark March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia was originally decided by the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), at its 47th Session held in Niamey, Niger on 27-28 November 2020. This followed discussion about the need for an international day to combat Islamophobia, initiated in Makkah in 2019 after the New Zealand mosque attacks.
The first International Day to Combat Islamophobia was observed by OIC countries in 2021. With UN adopting the significant resolution, International Day to Combat Islamophobia will now be observed on March 15 globally from next year.
“Islamophobia is a reality. Its manifestations — hate speech, discrimination, and violence against Muslims — are proliferating in several parts of the world,” Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Munir Akram, while introducing the resolution in the UN General Assembly.
“Such acts of discrimination, hostility and violence towards Muslim individuals and communities constitute grave violations of their human rights and violate their freedom of religion and belief. They also cause great anguish within the Islamic world", he said.
The objectives to mark March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia are:
To raise international awareness about the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred, Send a clear message that the world opposes all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, negative stereotyping and stigmatisation, To promote the message of tolerance, peaceful co-existence and interfaith and cultural harmony among all religions, races and nations and, To demonstrate by commemorating on this day unfettered solidarity with all humanity, convey a strong message of respect for human dignity, and reiterate common commitment to unity in diversity.
To raise international awareness about the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred,
Send a clear message that the world opposes all forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, negative stereotyping and stigmatisation,
To promote the message of tolerance, peaceful co-existence and interfaith and cultural harmony among all religions, races and nations and,
To demonstrate by commemorating on this day unfettered solidarity with all humanity, convey a strong message of respect for human dignity, and reiterate common commitment to unity in diversity.
“The objective of observing this day is about uniting, not dividing,” the Pakistani envoy said.
Several member states hailed the document, but the representatives of India, France and the European Union expressed reservations, saying that while religious intolerance was prevalent all over the world, the resolution singled out only Islam and excluded others.
India did not oppose the resolution, but TS Trimurti, Indian Ambassador at UN, complained that the resolution did not cover anti-Hindu phobia, among other religions.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly after it adopted a resolution proclaiming the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, India's Permanent Representative to UN, T.S. Tiruurti, said, "This resolution may well end up downplaying the seriousness of phobias against all other religions."
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