FM urges UN to take notice, action against anti-Islam narrative

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday urged the United Nations (UN) to take notice and action against the hate-based narrative against Islam.

"There is resentment in the world over the blasphemous caricatures," FM Qureshi said condemning French President Emmanuel Macron's Islamophobic comments.

"Irresponsible statement of the French president has added fuel to the fire," the foreign minister added. "Nobody has the right to hurt the sentiments of millions of Muslims under the garb of freedom of expression."

The FM further added that the seeds of hate that were being sowed today would polarise the society and have serious consequences.

"The French ambassador to Pakistan has been summoned to the Foreign Office to register a protest," Qureshi added.

FM said that a comprehensive resolution would be presented, on the instructions of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, at the next meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers, proposing to observe March 15 as the international day against Islamophobia.‘

Issue to be taken up at OIC’
In a separate statement, the prime minister's aide on religious harmony and Middle East, Maulana Tahir Ashrafi said Pakistan will take up the issue of blasphemous caricatures at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) forum.
In a tweet, he said France has hurt the sentiments of Muslims and Prime Minister Imran Khan has already raised the issue of desecration of sanctities at every forum.

On October 25, Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to impose a ban on Islamophobia and hate content against Islam which is causing “rampant abuse and vilification of Muslims” on social media platforms.

“I am writing to draw your attention to the growing Islamophobia that is encouraging hate, extremism and violence across the world and especially through the use of social media platforms including Facebook. I appreciate your taking the step to rightly ban any posting that criticises or questions the Holocaust, which was the culmination of the Nazi pogrom of the Jews in Germany and across Europe as Nazis spread across Europe,” PM Imran said in a letter written to Zuckerbeg.

The premier also said a similar pogrom against Muslims in different parts of the world has been witnessed and added that in some states Muslims are being denied their citizenship rights and their democratic personal choices from dress to worship.