The United Nations Accepts the Existence Of Islamophobia but Needs to Define It

Imran Khan Needed This Resolution To Salvage His Image

Main Points:

1.    1.Pakistan introduced the resolution on Islamophobia.

2.    France said there was no agreed definition of Islamophobia.

3.    India said resolution on religiophobia was needed.

4.    Islamophobia gives rise to extremism and vice-versa.

5.    Islamophobia is defended under freedom of expression in the West.

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New Age Islam Staff Writer

18 March 2022

On 15 March, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia unanimously, along with three other resolutions.

The resolution was introduced by Pakistan through its representative in the Assembly. It called for establishing the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The draft resolution said that Islamophobia had emerged as a new form of racism that included among others, discriminatory travel bans, hate speech and the targeting of girls and women for their dress. The text called for expanded international efforts to create a global dialogue that would encourage tolerance and peace centred on respect for human rights and the diversity of religions and beliefs.

However, the representative of France noted that Islamophobia had no agreed definition in international law. He said that France supported the protection of all religions and beliefs adding that his delegation had proposed a text that endorsed the freedom of all religions and beliefs. The creation of an international day did not respond to concerns to counter all forms of discrimination.

India also expressed its reservations on the resolution on the same grounds as France and the European Union. India's permanent representative in the General Assembly T.S. Trimurty said, "It is time we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia rather than single out just one. It is in this context that we are concerned about elevating phobia against one religion to the level of the international day." Mr Trimurty added, "We hope that the resolution adopted today (Thursday) does not set a precedent which will lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions and divide the United Nations into religious camps. It is important that the United Nations remains above such religious matters which may seek to divide us rather bring us together in one platform of peace and harmony and treat the world as one family."

India stressed that phobia existed not only against Islam, Christianity and Judaism but also against Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikkhism.

While introducing the resolution, Pakistan's statement hinted at Islamophobia particularly in India as it mentioned 'targeting of girls and women for their dress'. It should be noted that a controversy over hijab is raging in India. Similarly India mentioned attacks on Hindus and Sikhs and their places of worship in Pakistan. India also mentioned a rise in sectarian violence clearly hinting at sectarian violence against religious minorities like Shias and among sects in Islam which is prevalent in Pakistan.

France's position was that Islamophobia had no agreed definition in international law.

However, that despite differences and reservations on the issue, the United Nations member countries supported the resolution introduced by Pakistan and adopted it makes Islamophobia in the world a distinct social phenomenon. There have been a number of instances of attempts at vilifying Islam and Muslims through cartoons, films and social media campaigns under the garb of freedom of expression which not only evoked large scale protests but also provided justification to Muslim terrorist organisations to carry out terrorist attacks, for example, on Charlie Hebdo office.

Social media campaigns against Islam and Muslims in the Middle East a couple of years ago which provoked strong condemnation and criticism from prominent personalities of the Middle East can also be included in instances of Islamophobia. There are also some websites that regularly target Islam and Muslims and publish false information relating to Muslims and Islam to suit their agenda.

However, Muslims are no saints. The extremist ideology of some of their Ulema, past and present, advocating violence against non-Muslims and, their overt or covert support to militant outfits carrying out violence against Shias, Sikhs, Hindus and Christians and attacks on their places of worship have also contributed to the rise in Islamophobia in the world.

Islamophobia in France and other western countries on state level is also a matter of concern where the mosques and Islamic institutions across the country were brought under investigation and many mosques were closed down after a French teacher was killed by a Muslim student after the former showed a cartoon of the prophet of Islam in the class.

It has been observed that exhibiting and publishing the cartoons of the Prophet of Islam has become a means of expression of Islamophobia. And this in turn gives rise to extremist violence on the part of Muslims. Muslims are expected to show restraint on seeing the cartoons or films vilifying their prophet but those producing Islamophobic material are not advised to show restraint.

Here France has raised an important point. It said Islamophobia did not have an agreed definition of in international law. But when the member nations accepted and adopted the resolution on Islamophobia, they have admitted and recognised the existence of Islamophobia. They must have some notion of Islamophobia from the incidents of discrimination, harassment and insult to Muslims only on the basis of their association with Islam. Many Muslims in France have acknowledged that they face some kind of harassment and stereotyping on the basis of their religion.

In India, Islamophobia is on the rise. The incidents of mob lynching of Muslims and calls for violence against them have been reported. There is a growing hatred against them stoked by anti-Muslim ideological groups.

In Sri Lanka and Myanmar, Muslims are victims of Islamophobia and this Islamophobia has resulted in large scale riots against them which in turn gave rise to militant and extremist tendencies.

Similarly, attacks on Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Shias and Ahmadiyas regularly occur in Pakistan. Temples, mosques, churches and Gurudwaras are attacked by militant outfits in Pakistan.

But there is one pertinent question. Does religious violence come under xenophobia? France says that there is no agreed definition of Islamophobia. Then what constitutes Islamophobia or for that matter Hindu-phobia, Sikhophobia, Buddhophobia, Shiaphobia etc. Does communal riots against Muslims come under Islamophobia? Does demolition of Bamyan Buddha by the Taliban come under Buddhophobia? Do attacks on Shias or their mosques comes under religiophobia? Do attacks in Hindus, Sikhs or Christians come under the definition of religiophobia or xenophobia? The answer may be in the negative but these attacks can be said to be the result of or expression of growing religiophobia. Phobia meaning imaginary fear of someone or something compels one to act in self defence against an imaginary enemy. But all communal violence may not be the result of an imaginary fear of an imaginary enemy. Some communal violence are the result of the will for ideological supremacy. And to achieve that ideological supremacy, groups, and even nations take resort to spread of phobia. The government of China is one such example of a nation gripped by Islamophobia which considers ethnic Muslims their imaginary enemy that can pose a threat to Communism in the country. In India, ideological groups spread the fear among the majority community that Muslims will overpopulate them in a certain period. In Myanmar (the name itself means Mian Mar in Hindi suggesting to kill the Mians or Muslims), the Buddhist majority is made to believe that the Muslims may dominate the country if not kept under control. This imaginary fear of phobia led them to connive with the Tatmadaw to carry out in ethnic cleansing.

Pakistan's Prim Minister Imran Khan may take credit for getting the resolution adopted in the UN and will now compete with Turkey's Erdogan for the mantle of leadership of the Islamic world but the fact is that he has not been able to control religiophobia in his own country. This phobia often leads to communal and sectarian violence against Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and Ahmadiyas in Pakistan. The suicide attack on a mosque in Peshawar on a Friday 4 March in which more than 60 Shias were killed is a recent example of growing sectarian and communal violence in his country. In February 2022, a Christian Church father William Siraj was killed in an attack. In 2015, a bus carrying Ismailis was attacked killing scores of people. In November 2015, a factory of the Ahmadiyas was set ablaze. In March 27, 2016, 72 Christians were killed in an attack on a church on Easter Sunday in Lahore. On September 22, 2013, 83 Christians were killed in an attack in a church in Peshawar.

These are only the tip of an iceberg. Thousands of incidents of violence against religious minorities have occurred in Pakistan after its formation. This sectarian and communal violence has witnessed a rise in Pakistan during the reign of Imran Khan. He has surrendered before an extremist religious organisation TTP. So he had to do something to salvage his image and present himself as the saviour and defender of Islam.Therefore, he pushed for the resolution on Islamophobia in the UN.

As for the western countries, they will have to chalk out the strategies to control Islamophobia as they have defended Islamophobic publications and campaigns under the freedom of expression. Will they change their definition of freedom of expression or will they present their own definition of Islamophobia?

In some countries including India and France, even politicians take resort to Islamophobic statements before national elections thereby promoting Islamophobia.

Therefore, the United Nations needs take into consideration all these factors giving rise to Islamophobia while formulating a course of action to prevent Islamophobia in the world.

URL:  https://www.newageislam.com/muslims-islamophobia/united-nations-islamophobia-pakistan/d/126597

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