Pak-India stand-off: World not awakening to threat, says Imran

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Wednesday for effective measures to counter hate speech and Islamophobia as he maintained it had become a fashion to link terrorism with the Muslims.

He stressed upon the importance of addressing both the drivers and consequences of these phenomena. The other day, Prime Minister Imran Khan while addressing a press conference said that the world is not awakening to the threat as two nuclear states are at the verge of war but the world community is not paying attention to solve the Kashmir issue, which is a core issue between two nuclear armed neighbours. He said in case of a nuclear war, the entire world would be affected, as its effects would not be limited one region. The PM was expressing his views during a high-level, roundtable discussion on ‘Countering Hate Speech’ co-hosted by Pakistan and Turkey.

Noting the growing incidents of discrimination and violence based on religion and belief, the prime minister underscored that religion had nothing to do with terrorism. He also cautioned against attempts to defame the revered personalities and scriptures cloaked in the right to freedom of expression and opinion.

The prime minister observed that marginalisation of any community could lead to its radicalisation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his remarks, said that Muslims were the most vulnerable community to hate speech across the world.

Muslims were being lynched for eating beef in India, whereas, Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir has turned into an open prison, he said, warning that they fear bloodshed in the occupied valley.

President Erdogan termed hate speech as among worst crimes against humanity. On the occasion, he also expressed his condolences over the tragic loss of lives in the earthquake-hit areas of Pakistan.

The conference also featured a Key Note address by High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) Miguel Ángel Moratinos. In his remarks, the premier noted the growing amount of "discrimination and violence based on religion and belief.”

"The world must understand Muslim sensitivities for Islam and the reverence for Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)," he said. He underscored the need for effective measures to be put in place so that hate speech, especially that which stems from Islamophobia, can be countered.

The prime minister, during his address, said that "desperate human beings" throughout history have committed what are known as suicide attacks. "Before 9/11, 75 percent of suicide attacks were by Tamil Tigers who were Hindus. No one talked about Hinduism having anything to do with suicide attacks."

He said when Japanese suicide bombers attacked American ships during World War II, no one blamed their religion. "Because religion has nothing to do with [...] no religion has anything to do with terrorism," he stressed.

"Almost all terrorism is connected to politics. It is politically perceived injustices that produce desperate people. "But now we keep hearing about radical Islam. There is only one Islam. The Islam of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which we follow. There is no other Islam."

He said that in communities, a majority of individuals are moderates with liberals on one end of the spectrum and fanatics on the other end and it was the same case in societies everywhere.

"What about the white supremacist that killed 49 worshippers in New Zealand? What has that got to do with religion?" he went on to say, appealing to the better sense of all those listening.

The premier urged the need to recognise that a greater understanding and tolerance between various communities across the globe needs to be promoted. "We Muslim leaders have not explained to the Western societies how painful it is when our Prophet (PBUH) is maligned, mocked, ridiculed."

"Why does it cause so much pain? Because the Prophet (PBUH) lives in our hearts. And we all know that the pain of the heart is far, far, far greater than physical pain," he explained. He said that the UN, as a platform, provides the right space "to evolve an informed discourse on countering hate speech".

According to a handout by the UNAOC, the high-level roundtable "is aimed at identifying measures and approaches required to effectively address and mitigate the impacts of hate speech on societies across the world, with a view to fostering tolerance and inclusivity".