Ever since assuming the office of Prime Minister, it goes to the credit of Imran Khan of very effectively and forcefully drawing the world attention towards the danger posed by Islamophobia. On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session, he along with the Turkish President chaired a roundtable conference to draw the world attention towards this serious problem. Given the recent acts of hate that took place against Muslims in Norway and New Zealand, the very assertions of the PM are proving to be true and time warrants that steps are taken to counter the hate that exists against Islam and its believers in the West.
It can only be done by removing misperceptions and promoting true teachings of Islam that only gives the message of peace and harmony. During a meeting in New York, PM Khan, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed decided to jointly start an English language Channel dedicated to confronting the challenges posed by Islamophobia and setting the record straight on our great religion. Indeed this is the way forward to communicate to the world as to what Islam actually is and that too in a language that is understood by the majority of population. Undoubtedly, over the last two decades or so, some misguided elements through their acts distorted the very image of Islam and as a result there exists a great misunderstanding about the religion of Islam in the West. Thus, we really appreciate the leadership of the three countries for coming up with such a novel idea and one expects this idea and vision will be translated at the earliest and that too after deep and thorough study in order to achieve the objectives envisaged by the leadership of three countries. As for Pakistan, we understand that Radio Pakistan, the National Broadcaster, has the capacity and professionals to be part of such an important channel as through its Saut-ul-Quran Channel, it is already successfully spreading Islam’s message of peace. As it is a joint venture, therefore, the Channel must also include the media professionals and experts from Malaysia and Turkey. By pooling together the talent and knowledge, we really can portray true face of Islam to the world. Whilst highlighting Islamic teachings, culture and issues, Channel must confront anti-Islamic stereotypes and work for the success of Islamic causes. In addition, it should serve as a platform to promote interfaith harmony which in fact is need of hour to make this world cradle of peace and stability.
