MUSLIM GOVERNMENTS ARE WORKING HARD TO COMBAT ISLAMOPHOBIA.
If the mandate were simply to document an increased frequency of acts of discrimination, provocation and incitement to violence against ordinary Muslims over the last thirty years, these reports and high-level multilateral and bilateral meetings (Source: Muslim conference calls for protection of religious minorities, 2 Feb 2016, Aida Alami, NY Times) have been a staggering success. However, if the objective is to counter the rise of Islamophobia, these fanciful efforts have been an utter failure on the part of Muslim-majority countries today.
Also, while the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), one of the largest inter-government organisations representing 57 member states count the successful adoption of an albeit important resolution on Defamation of Religions at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva at the UN General Assembly, as one of its successes, it is worth asking whether these toothless resolutions have produced the desired or intended result? Islamophobia is far worse today than a decade ago.
Unless Muslim-majority countries resolve to go beyond mere rhetoric taking a joint firm stand against Islamophobia by investing in action- based measures, millions more will be uselessly spent on conferences and workshops while intolerance and violence against ordinary Muslims including women, Muslim youth and teenagers proliferates.
DON’T FORGET MINORITIES IN MUSLIM-MAJORITY COUNTRIES ARE ALSO PERSECUTED.
If there are known cases of persecution of religious minorities in Muslim-majority countries [and rightly so fight for a much-needed voice to be given to such minorities] such as in Pakistan, Iraq and Syria among others, why do hatemongers ignore “countries like Kosovo, Djibouti, Albania, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone, which accounts for about one-quarter of Muslim-majority countries where religious minorities are free to practice their faiths”, thus illustrating there may be no systematic explanation for why some countries are religiously free”, according to the Washington Post. (Source: Are Muslim countries really unreceptive to religious freedom?,10 July 2015, Daniel Philpott, The Washington Post)
Nonetheless and therefore, the evils of religious persecution of minorities by right-wing Muslim individuals, groups and politicians needs to be openly acknowledged, tackled and eliminated as this is in direct contradiction to the teachings of Muhammad (PBUH) and Islam.
Muslim leaders and clerics have made their stance loud and clear in rejecting and condemning spectacular acts of violence, such as terrorist attacks that target non-Muslims in particular. But their voices must also be equally loud and clear in speaking up for minority rights and protections, including those of religious, non-religious, ethnic and sexual minorities. (Source: What Muslims must learn from anti-trump protests in America, Mohamed Imran Mohamed Taib, 5 February 2017, SCMP)
Siddiq Bazarwala 