RIYADH: Pakistan’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia has called for a UN resolution to designate March 15 as a global day to combat Islamophobia.
According to Ameer Khurram Rathore, the international organization’s move will help in order to break down biased stereotypes surrounding Muslims and terrorism.
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are both countries that are members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and together they persuaded the UN in a bid to condemn Islamophobia.
“We had full support in multilateral fora between Pakistan and the OIC countries, and as a result, we were able to achieve this, which is a huge success.”
“After 9/11 (the terrorist attacks on the United States), Islam became associated with terrorism, and an effort was made to carve out a stereotype for Muslims.” This initiative to focus on Islamophobia is long-term, and it will break down the stereotype that some people tried to construct between Muslims and terrorism,” Rathore added.
Pakistan’s permanent ambassador to the UN, ‘Munir Akram, ‘ first introduced the resolution, and he presented it on behalf of the OIC. It marked three years since a gunman entered two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, and 51 worshippers were lost their lives, and 40 were injured.
The 48th session of the OIC’s Council of the Foreign Minister is taking place in Islamabad. The two-day conference coincides with Pakistan Day celebrations on Wednesday, and selected guests have been invited to attend a parade.
This is going to be held on March 23, which is also a Pakistani day. They stated that tell us and prove us how strong is your relationship with Pakistan and OIC countries and the importance of Muslim countries to stand together in these trying times,” the envoy said.
The meeting is the second OIC meeting recently held in the Pakistani capital. Representatives of 56 OIC member states participated in the conference titled “Partnering for Unity, Justice, and Development.”
At the same time, they address issues such as Palestine and Jammu and Kashmir; conference discussions will also focus on critical priorities such as countering Islamophobia, recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, peace and security economic development, cultural and scientific cooperation, and revitalizing the role of the OIC.
Rathore also stated, “We are very thankful to the leaders of Saudi in order to support us in this endeavour, and we are looking forward to further deepening our relationship in this sphere.”
More than 2 million Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia.
The ambassador stated: “It is my greatest pleasure to live in Saudi Arabia; the Saudi-Pakistani relationship is in people’s hearts. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia’s relationship is unique; it is severe, it is historical, it is rooted in our history, in our culture, in our religious beliefs.