March 22, 2019
OIC strongly condemns Islamophobic terrorists' attacks
By Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Organization of Islamic Cooperation Thursday (March 22, 2019) strongly condemned horrendous and despicable Islamophobic terrorists’ attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Final communiqué of emergency meeting of OIC Foreign Ministers in Istanbul appreciated the Government of New Zealand for its unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attacks, in particular the firm and clear stance of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who embraced the Muslim community and shared their grief.
It supported the government of New Zealand in its commitment for a thorough and fully transparent investigation into the terrorist attacks.
The Emergency Ministerial Conference entitled "OIC Open Ended Executive Committee Emergency Ministerial Meeting on The Recent Terrorist Attack Against Two Mosques in New Zealand and Countering Hatred Against Muslims" was held in Istanbul.
Foreign ministers from over 20 countries participated in the meeting, alongside representatives from international organisztions, including the United Nations and the European Union and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. New Zealand's foreign minister, Winston Peters, also attended the session.
The communiqué firmly rejected all presumptions of guilt or attributions of potential crimes, extremism and terrorism to ordinary Muslims.
It called upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe to establish an observatory to monitor acts of religious hatred, hostility and violence against Muslims and report to the relevant organs.
It called on the United Nations and other international and regional organizations to adopt 15th of March as the International Day of Solidarity against Islamophobia.
It also called upon the UN Secretary General to convene a special session of the UNGA to declare Islamophobia as a form of racism and to assign a special rapporteur for monitoring and combating Islamophobia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a global fight against rising anti-Muslim bigotry along the same lines as "anti-Semitism after the Holocaust" following the deadly attacks on two New Zealand mosques.
Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) President Erdogan said that Muslim nations must take action against developments threatening the future of humanity.
"Humanity should fight Islamophobia with same determination it fought anti-Semitism after the Holocaust," Erdogan said.
Erdogan also thanked New Zealand authorities, people, premier for showing the truth, their firm stand against the terrorist attacks on the mosques.
Erdogan said he will never allow occupation of Golan Heights to be legitimized, adding that US president’s "unfortunate" remarks on the Golan Heights brought the region to the brink of a new crisis and tension.
Erdogan said he will never allow occupation of Golan Heights to be legitimized, adding that US president’s "unfortunate" remarks on the Golan Heights brought the region to the brink of a new crisis and tension.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu praised New Zealand authorities and their "sincere solidarity messages".
"We are here to show we are one body against Islamophobic actions across the world," he asserted.
He vowed that Turkey would speak up and take practical steps against all hate speech, violence, and terror and called for the establishment of a body within the OIC tasked with dealing with hate crimes and terrorist acts against Muslims.
"No religion or belief can be defined by violence and terror," he said, adding that peace is at the heart of Islam. Terrorism has no language, religion or race, Çavuşoğlu said, urging action to stem Islamophobic hate speech.
"The attacks in New Zealand are a turning point for Muslims and we will not be deterred from taking steps to curb violence," the Turkish foreign minister asserted.
OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef Al-Othaimeen also addressed the meeting, describing the Christchurch attacks as "a turning point" for Muslims. He stated that Muslim nations would not be deterred from taking steps to curb such violence.
"Intolerance on the basis of ideology and racism have emerged as a major threat to global peace and security in our world today. Amidst these conditions, Islam and Muslims in many countries are subjected to defamation of their religion and humanity. They face growing negative stereotyping, racial discrimination and right-wing populist calls denying basic Muslim human rights," Al-Othaimeen said.
The OIC secretary general highlighted reports by the OIC Islamophobia observatory, which concluded that hatred and intolerance against Islam had reached a disturbing level of frequency over the past few years. "This is clear in the pervasiveness of negative rhetoric against Islam and in incidences of attacks on mosques, Islamic centers, individuals, Muslim communities and women who wear Islamic dresses," he said.
Al-Othaimeen said the Christchurch terror attacks had sent a message to the world that hate speech, intolerance and Islamophobia are threats to the security of stable communities. "This incident shows us that terrorism has neither religion, race or nationality," he said.
The OIC chief said hate speech and intolerance, and the terrorist incidents they engender, are inspired by ultra-right ideologies which have been gaining popularity over the last 20 years. "These have led to a global wave of populism and the unprecedented rise of ultra-right and anti-establishment parties.
"The common thread in all of these populist political parties is Islamophobia," he said, pointing out that their supporters had been growing "at unprecedented levels".
"We cannot close our eyes to the activities that incite hatred and violence perpetrated by intolerant groups and individuals, no matter who they are and what religion they profess. We must take into account that positive cooperation amongst us will isolate extremism and intolerance, no matter their source," Al-Othaimeen asserted.
"What happened in New Zealand is despicable and has dangerous implications for the world. This terrorist attack has shocked and hurt the sensibilities of Muslims and the entire humanity. Whatever the motives behind this attack, its perpetrators deserve the severest forms of punishment," the OIC chief stated.
Al-Othaimeen appreciated the government of New Zealand for taking "necessary steps" by launching an investigation into the attack and providing its full support to the Muslim communities in the country.
"We must also mention the importance of decisive legislation about cyberspace which has been turned into an arena for breeding extremist ideas," he added in his statement.
Addressing the OIC's emergency meeting New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters reassured Muslims living in the country they would be "safe and secure" despite the deadly attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.
He further said that his country would work to protect its Muslim community and confront the use of social media to "spread vile hate."
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says certain countries in the West must be held accountable for an attack on two mosques in New Zealand, which left at least 50 worshipers dead.
"The terrorist attack in New Zealand represents a very dangerous tide in the West that is Islamophobia," he said in Istanbul where the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held an emergency meeting Friday.
Certain Western officials and institutions, he said, are aiding and abetting crimes against Muslims with their silence.
"Unfortunately those who claim to be promoting freedom of speech are both suppressing the freedom of expression of Muslims and allowing all forms of insult against Muslims in the name of the freedom of expression," he said adding:
"And we are seeing the consequences of this in various parts of the West.”
The Journal of America Team:
Editor in chief:
Abdus Sattar Ghazali
Senior Editor:
Prof. Arthur Scott
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