Raising awareness about the danger of Islamophobia to the harmonious life among people of different religions.

 

Step forward and policy recommendations

To address the issue of Islamophobia in term effective and efficient, collective measures need to be deployed by International Organisations, Governments, Non-Governmental Organisations, Civil Society Organisations, and all members of the international community. First, it is important to acknowledge that the issue of Islamophobia, anti-Muslim racism, hatred against Islam and Muslims, or whatever we may call it, it does exist within societies. Then it is pertinent to raise awareness about its danger to the harmonious life among people of different religions, as well as its potential threat to national and international security. People in the grassroots need to recognize the manifestation and motivations of anti-Muslim hatred, and to do necessary steps to anticipate violent actions done by Islamophobes. Visiting anti-racism organizations’ websites is encouraged to see different forms of Islamophobia and racism; and when physical attacks, verbal harassment, and discrimination happen, they need to report to the authorities, or to get legal advice from Islamophobia Response Centres. There is also a need to hold discussions in schools, workplaces, and social groups about making spaces more inclusive to all. It is well-expected that governments would also provide sufficient protection to Muslim communities and other minorities, and to set up crisis response system capable to prevent violent attacks. Particular to OIC Member Countries, a set of recommendations are included hereunder for the kind consideration of the Distinguished Member States during this CFM Session: Member States are encouraged to foster their efforts at the national level to address the issue of Islamophobia through creative projects and implementable policies, such as boosting youth engagement in dealing with Islamophobia, integration of Islamophobia-related elements into school curricula, and provision of moderate content for early-age children.

Embracing such an approach would significantly contribute to eliminating ignorance of religion, which is believed to be among the major factor feeding Islamophobia. Establishing centres dedicated to the study of, and fight against, Islamophobia in Member Countries would expectedly help coordinate national efforts and deconstruct Islamophobic discourse and ideology. 

At the international level, there is a pressing need to launch extensive campaigns slated to project a positive image of Islam, particularly in countries where the issue of Islamophobia is most palpable. This could be done with the help of Muslim communities in non-OIC countries. In this sense, Members States are encouraged to increase support for Muslim communities in non-Muslim societies in order to empower them to fight and resist acts of intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief. This step has also the potential to curb tendencies of extremism in Western countries through the promotion of tolerance, moderation, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among their citizens. Along these measures, Members States are encouraged to promote inter-faith and inter-religious dialogues to raise awareness about the well-founded interpretations of religious precepts and teachings, as well as open up space for discussion about Islam among non-Muslims. Member States are equally encouraged to reach out as widely as possible to the Muslim diaspora in non-Muslim countries, while engaging them in a constructive dialogue with their non-Muslim fellows in order to develop a sustainable mechanism for countering all types of discrimination against Muslims or any other religious minority. 

Existing OIC mechanisms, notably the Contact Group on Muslim Minorities in Europe, and the Contact Group on Peace and Dialogue could prove effective tools for the coordination of the Muslim world’s collective efforts in combating Islamophobia at the international level. Generate projects for countering Islamophobia through close collaboration with a select number of international entities such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), as well as Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) that advocate counter-Islamophobia at the grass-root level. Member States are encouraged to visibly keep the issue of Islamophobia high on the agenda of UN’s Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly and implement the Resolution 16/18 on combating incitement to hatred, discriminationand violence against persons based on their religion. National media outlets and social media platforms could be harnessed to promote the principle of responsible use of freedom of expression while implementing appropriate policies that hold accountable any media which perpetuate hate speech against Islam and Muslims. Member Countries are encouraged to provide support to the Islamophobia Observatory in the General Secretariat by allocating the necessary resources to establish a network with other hate-speech monitoring platforms around the world. It is also recommended that Member States consider deliberation on the appointment of an OIC Special Envoy for Islamophobia in a bid to boost OIC’s engagement with international and regional organizations on this highly critical issue.