PM Imran urges OIC to jointly fight Islamophobia

Ambassadors of OIC member countries meet premier, discuss ways to promote inter-faith harmony

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday met Islamabad-based ambassadors of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member countries and discussed ways to combat Islamophobia and promote inter-faith harmony.

Recalling the two letters addressed by him to the leaders of the Islamic world last year, PM Imran briefed the envoys on Pakistan’s efforts at the international level to create awareness about rising Islamophobia and the need to collectively address the phenomenon, according to an official statement.

The premier stressed that Pakistan’s initiatives are aimed at building mutual understanding and promoting inter-faith harmony.

PM @ImranKhanPTI met the Islamabad-based Ambassadors of countries belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (@OIC_OCI) today to discuss combating Islamophobia and promoting inter-faith harmony : @PakPMO #APPNews @MoIB_Official pic.twitter.com/qsAbDziJ7K

— APP 🇵🇰 (@appcsocialmedia) May 3, 2021

Noting that Islamophobic acts fan inter-religious hatred and disharmony among civilisations, the prime minister called for addressing the underlying reasons for the rise in such incidents worldwide.

"Falsely equating Islam with radicalism and terrorism is leading to the marginalisation and stigmatisation of Muslims," he added.

Premier Imran also emphasised that the vilification of Islamic precepts and religious personalities, wrongly justified under the garb of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, hurts the sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

He urged the OIC to work together for making the international community understand the deep-rooted love and reverence of all Muslims for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Holy Quran.

Also read: OIC adopts Pakistan’s resolution against Islamophobia

He also underlined the need for instituting legal safeguards aimed at protecting the sensitivities of all religious groups and underscored the imperative of OIC’s collective efforts to project the true image of Islam, and its message of peace and tolerance.

PM Imran reaffirmed that Pakistan remained committed to dialogue and cooperation with all members of the international community for promoting universal values of tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among all nations and peoples.