PRIME Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday wrote letters to the heads of Muslim states, calling upon them to unite and act collectively to counter the growing Islamophobia in the western world, especially in European countries and reach out to the others to break the cycle of hate and extremism.
The Prime Minister’s move has come in the wake of growing rage across the Muslim world over republication of blasphemous caricatures and the controversial statement of the French President against Islam. One really appreciates the Prime Minister for taking the lead and contacting the Muslim leaders on this sensitive issue but time has come to take practical measures to stop this campaign of hate against Islam and its followers. Ever since 9/11 incident, a deliberate campaign has been started to malign Muslims under the garb of freedom of expression. Especially in the European countries, there have been a series and relentless acts of desecration of the holy personalities of Islam. Shutting down of mosques and stopping the Muslim women to wear clothing of their choice also clearly expose their true face. In this scenario, the European countries should stop blowing the trumpet of protection of fundamental human rights as their definition of human rights is totally biased where there is no respect for Muslims and their sentiments. They must understand that the love of the Last Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) as well as other Prophets is part of our faith and no Muslim can tolerate their desecration. The so-called champions of human rights must show respect to others for peaceful coexistence, otherwise, the consequences will be far serious which they cannot image. Unbridgeable chasm is in the making which would not only bring Muslims into confrontation with others but may also lead to pitting other races against each other. The summit level meeting of OIC should be convened immediately and a unanimous and unambiguous message should be conveyed from its platform about the sentiments of Muslims against blasphemous acts. Until and unless, the European countries correct their course, we will suggest the Muslim countries to recall their ambassadors from these countries and boycott their products. The UN has also a responsibility. It must initiate a global dialogue for inter-faith harmony and countering the rising trend of Islamophobia.
