PM urges Int’l community to renew mutual respect to combat Islamophobia

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday urged the international community to renew its resolve to foster peaceful coexistence, inter-faith harmony, and mutual respect to combat Islamophobia.

In his message on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, he called upon the international community to unreservedly speak out and act against the rising tide of Islamophobia and anti-Muslim hatred.

The Prime Minister said on its part, Pakistan reaffirms its resolve to work closely with the international community in promoting dialogue, harmony and mutual understanding across religions, faiths, cultures and civilizations.

This important day serves to raise global awareness about the unfounded phobia against Islam and its adherents as well as the need to present a united front to stamp out this contemporary menace.

The Prime Minister said the International Day comes at a time of alarming surge worldwide in Islamophobia, fuelled by discriminatory laws, populist politics, and xenophobic narratives.

He said from ban on public wearing of hijabs to willful desecration of the Holy Quran, and from vilification of revered religious personalities to destruction of holy sites, this dangerous form of religious hatred is infringing upon the basic human rights, dignity and identity of over 1.5 billion Muslims.