PM Imran Khan meets OIC countries' ambassadors to discuss Islamophobia

• PM Imran Khan meets ambassadors of countries belonging to OIC in Islamabad.
• Says Pakistan’s initiatives were aimed at building mutual understanding and promoting interfaith harmony.
• Says Islamophobic acts fan interreligious hatred and disharmony among civilisations.

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday met the Islamabad-based ambassadors of countries belonging to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to discuss the issue of Islamophobia as well as the need to strengthen interfaith harmony.

Recalling the two letters addressed by him to the leaders of the Islamic world last year, the premier briefed the envoys on Pakistan’s efforts at the international level to create awareness about Islamophobia and the need to collectively address the phenomenon.

The prime minister stressed that Pakistan’s initiatives were aimed at building mutual understanding and promoting interfaith harmony.

Noting that Islamophobic acts fan interreligious hatred and disharmony among civilisations, PM Khan called for addressing the underlying reasons for the rise in such incidents worldwide. 

Falsely equating Islam with radicalism and terrorism, he added, was leading to the marginalisation and stigmatisation of Muslims.

The premier emphasised that the vilification of Islamic precepts and religious personalities, wrongly justified under the garb of the right to freedom of expression or opinion, hurts the sentiments of 1.5 billion Muslims around the world.

PM Khan urged the OIC to work together for making the international community understand the deep-rooted love and reverence of all Muslims for the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and the Holy Quran.

The prime minister also underlined the need for instituting legal safeguards aimed at protecting the sensitivities of all religious groups. He underscored the imperative of OIC’s collective efforts to project the true image of Islam and its message of peace and tolerance.

The premier reaffirmed that Pakistan remained committed to dialogue and cooperation with all members of the international community for promoting universal values of tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful co-existence among all nations and peoples.