Initiated by Pakistan and backed by OIC, resolution receives overwhelming support, with 115 votes in favor and 44 abstentions n India along with most of European states abstained on resolution n Islamabad welcomes UNGA’s call for appointment of United Nations Special Envoy tasked specifically with combating Islamophobia.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Saturday welcomed the adoption of the resolution titled “Measures to Combat Islamophobia,” by the UN General Assembly with an overwhelming majority.
The move comes as the world marks the International Day against Islamophobia on Friday.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the resolution was presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as a follow-up of the General Assembly Resolution 76/254, which designated 15th of March as the International Day to combat Islamophobia.
The General Assembly condemned the incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence against Muslims as manifested in the increasing number of incidents of desecration of the Holy Quran, attacks on mosques, sites and shrines and other acts of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred and violence against Muslims.
The General Assembly has called upon the Member States to take legislative and policy measures to combat religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred, incitement to violence and violence against Muslims. Pakistan welcomed the General Assembly’s call for the appointment of a “United Nations Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia”.
This historic appointment will be the first of its kind, exclusively dedicated to combating the scourge of Islamophobia. The adoption of the resolution comes at a critical time, amidst rising Islamophobia, as manifested by an increasing number of incidents of discrimination, violence, and incitement against Muslims around the world.
Earlier, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Pakistani resolution, by a big majority, that called for concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims and requested the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.
The resolution, titled: ‘Measures to Combat Islamophobia’, was passed by a vote of 113 in favour to none against, with 44 abstentions. India, along with most of European states, abstained on the resolution. Prior to adopting the resolution, the 193-member Assembly rejected two amendments proposed by a group of European nations.
Earlier while introducing the resolution in the UN General Assembly on behalf of the OIC, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN Ambassador Munir Akram said the incidents of Islamophobia of discrimination, and violence against Muslims have risen exponentially both at the societal and state levels.__The Nation
