By Tehmina Janjua
Causes of Islamophobia are complex and differ in various countries and regions. In the West, the roots of Islamophobia lie in an often contentious history between Christianity and Islam, which was aggravated by the colonial experience.
Islamophobia is an existential issue for Muslim countries. Discrimination, hate speech and outright incitement to violence against Muslims have become entrenched and pervasive in many societies. This poses a direct threat to the Islamic identity of communities, and to the physical security and lives of Muslims. Islamophobia has become a matter of life and death for a large number of our co-religionists.
The OIC has adopted a working definition of Islamophobia as a “contemporary form of racism and xenophobia motivated by unfounded fear, mistrust and hatred of Muslims and Islam.” Islamophobia is based on stigmatization of a religion and its followers. As such, Islamophobia is an affront to the human rights and dignity of Muslims.
To counter Islamophobia, we need to understand its underlying causes.
The causes of Islamophobia are complex and differ in various countries and regions. In the West, the roots of Islamophobia lie in an often contentious history between Christianity and Islam, which was aggravated by the colonial experience. In recent times, especially post 9/11, a toxic mix of political and economic factors has come into play.
A comprehensive media strategy is essential to present the richness and diversity of Muslim societies. Prejudice and hatred is best combated by deconstructing images and stereotypes that are based on rank ignorance.
Right wing political parties have scapegoated Muslim communities in order to advance their political ambitions, while many ostensibly centrist, and even left wing, elements have asserted that Islam and Muslims are not compatible with Western values.
In Asia and some parts of Africa, there are different dynamics behind Islamophobia. In some countries, there is a strong ethnic element. In other countries, there is an interplay of economic factors and the politics of extreme groups. And, most disturbingly, some are in the thrall of an extremist ideology that is promoted through the state itself, as currently in India.
Having said this, it is necessary to acknowledge that there are also factors internal to Muslim countries and communities that contribute to Islamophobia. The violent acts of an extremist fringe, and the rights record of some Muslim countries, play straight into the narrative of Muslims as a backward, violent people imbued with regressive ways of thinking. This takes away the message of tolerance and love for humanity that was given by the Holy Prophet (PBUM).
These are some of the factors that have led to the emergence of Islamophobia, and placed in peril entire Muslim communities.
Pakistan, along with some Muslim countries, has taken the lead in the OIC and other multilateral fora to counter Islamophobia globally. Any resolution adopted by the OIC Conference of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) provides critical policy guidance to OIC Member States on this matter.
The combatting Islamophobia resolution to be adopted by the Islamabad CFM assumes greater significance because of the leadership provided by Prime Minister Imran Khan on this matter. PM Khan has especially been active in voicing the concerns of the Islamic world on the increasing levels and incidents of Islamophobia.
The response to Islamophobia from individual Muslim countries and from the OIC, needs to be reinforced. This response has suffered from three key weaknesses.
One, the absence of a strong empirical and conceptual underpinning to initiatives to build a broader international consensus on combating Islamophobia.
On the empirical side, Muslim countries/OIC need to generate regular, credible reports and statistics that would accurately depict the growing problem of Islamophobia.
On the conceptual side, there is an insufficiently developed rebuttal against the arguments that are generally employed to permit even the most virulent expressions of Islamophobia, especially the arguments centering on freedom of expression.
Two, measures that have been taken have been ad hoc and reactive, largely in response to some especially egregious Islamophobic event. There needs to be a systematic, sustained strategy to counter Islamophobia.
Three, efforts to convince the broader international community to meaningfully address Islamophobia have, at times, been undermined due to our inability to respond to provocations in a rational, non-violent manner.
So, what should be done?
Certain measures could readily be taken by governments, and which could have an immediate impact on efforts to counter Islamophobia. These could include a more robust intellectual response, a concerted media strategy, and specific steps to protect the diaspora.
At the intellectual level, there is a need to develop a comprehensive, well argued, legal brief on freedom of expression as it plays out in the context of Islamophobia. The brief should address issues such as the balance of rights and duties embodied in the right of free speech, and the threshold where free speech crosses into hate speech. Such a brief is necessary in order to rebut the legal arguments that are used to block the establishment of any international legal framework that would squarely address Islamophobia.
Also, in order to have a more considered narrative on Islamophobia, it is necessary to establish a continued dialogue with academic centers/ think tanks within Western countries that are doing useful work on this matter. Such a dialogue would benefit both sides in understanding the manifestations of Islamophobia, and the measures needed to counter these varied manifestations in Western societies.
A comprehensive media strategy is essential to present the richness and diversity of Muslim societies. Prejudice and hatred is best combated by deconstructing images and stereotypes that are based on rank ignorance.
To protect the Muslim diaspora, OIC Member states’ embassies, especially in Western countries, should treat Islamophobia as a critical issue. They should actively build broad-based coalitions with other Muslim groups and liberal civil society organizations; monitor and document Islamophobic incidents; and, undertake programs to encourage Muslim communities to integrate in their host countries, especially by enhancing their education levels, and actively participating in local politics.
It is important that the forthcoming OIC-CFM provides political support for a number of measures that have been considered by Members, but have not been given effect. These include:
One, strengthening the existing OIC Observatory on Islamophobia, including by providing it with more financial support. The Observatory should be able to: (a) generate a credible global annual report on Islamophobic incidents; and (b) rank countries on their performance on addressing Islamophobia.
A more robust intellectual response, a concerted media strategy and specific steps are the need of the hour to protect the diaspora.
Two, establishment of a regular, high-level dialogue between the OIC and the European Union on countering Islamophobia. Also, fully activate the Contact Group on Muslims in Europe which was created to address Islamophobia faced by Muslims in Europe, and to encourage Muslim communities in Europe to be active members of their host societies.
Three, full implementation of the Media Strategy adopted by the OIC Information Ministers in 2016. In this context fully activate the Saut-al-Hikma, that was created to provide a strong counter narrative by highlighting the intrinsically peaceful and tolerant message of Islam.
Four, appointment of an eminent person as OIC’s Special Envoy on Islamophobia in order to coordinate all matters relating to this issue.
Five, mandating the Special Envoy, the OIC General Secretariat and the Islamic Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), to establish close cooperation with UN Special Rapporteurs on freedom of expression, freedom of religion and racism, as well as with entities like the OSCE and EU to, among other things, develop the legal basis for preventing incitement to hatred and discrimination on the basis of religion and belief.
Six, addressing national weaknesses that impede efforts to effectively counter Islamophobia. This would include measures to improve the situation of minorities in Muslim countries.
It would also involve educating our people that, in responding to external provocations, passions need to be channelized through peaceful means and reasoned debate.
The draft resolution on Islamophobia that shall be considered by the forthcoming OIC-CFM, apparently includes some of the above elements. The challenge is to adopt a resolution that is comprehensive, and includes monitoring and follow-up mechanisms that would ensure that it is effectively implemented.
The measures to counter Islamophobia that are proposed in this article flow from a strategy of engagement. However, even with the most assiduous efforts, a strategy of engagement may not succeed on its own.
There can be recurrences of Islamophobic incidents driven by a sense of relative impunity in offending countries. Hence, while engagement is pursued, there should be discussions in the OIC on the option of collectively resorting to more robust actions, such as economic boycotts and disinvestments.
Islamophobia has assumed unacceptable proportions. It is impeding many Muslims from freely practicing their religion, and even putting their lives at risk.
Hence, urgent measures, with demonstrable impact, are required.
The writer is the former foreign secretary & ambassador.
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