Religious extremism is globally on the rise, prompting people and groups to commit disrespectful and belittling acts that blatantly attack other religions and hurt the sentiments of believers. Some go to extreme lengths to take up arms and form extremist groups to carry out acts of violence. An example of this is the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand. One of the consequences of such behaviour is the escalation of Islamophobia or Islamophobic sentiments across the world.
A recent incident took place in the Swedish capital of Stockholm where a right-wing extremist desecrated a copy of the Quran. The incident has angered Muslim countries as condemnation continues to pour in from Muslims across the world. The heinous and senseless act held no purpose except to incite anger and provoke more than two billion Muslims around the world that hold the holy book close to their hearts. However, it cannot be ignored that there are those who believe an individual should have the right to freedom of speech. Here we must realise that this right is strengthened specifically to give voice to the oppressed and subjugated, not to offend or hurt people simply for believing in something different. In a bid to tackle the issue, Canada has appointed its first special representative on combatting Islamophobia — a position specifically created following recent attacks on Canadian Muslims. The post has been filled by Amira Elghawaby, a journalist and active human rights campaigner, who will work with key stakeholders to “fight against Islamophobia, systemic racism, racial discrimination and religious intolerance”.
Canada continues to show that diversity and inclusion is at the foundation of state-building. Other countries should also look to follow suit and work towards protecting religious minorities within their borders. Differences can only be resolved through an open mind. A dialogue must be initiated to acknowledge difference and form more tolerant communities.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2023.
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