BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 15. The issue of the politicization of Islamophobia should be addressed, former Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said, Trend reports.
He made the remark at the international conference on the "Islamophobia as a Specific Form of Racism and Discrimination: New Global and Transnational Challenges" topic.
He noted that decisions on Islamophobia were also adopted by the European Court of Human Rights.
"We must recognize that Islamophobia is a serious problem, and we must treat it accurately. Islam is also the indigenous religion of the West; it is not alien to it. There are millions of Muslims in Europe. The contribution of Muslim civilization to Western civilization must also be investigated," Ihsanoglu added.
On March 15-16, the Baku International Multiculturalism Center (BIMC), the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) and the G20 Interfaith Forum are organizing an international conference dedicated to the International Day to Combat Islamophobia themed “Islamophobia as a Specific Form of Racism and Discrimination: New Global and Transnational Challenges”.
The main purpose of the conference is to provide for an academic discussion platform on the alarming trends targeting Muslims and Muslim-populated countries at international and national levels.
The conference, bringing together scientists, experts of international organizations, religious figures and representatives of non-governmental organizations from 32 countries, is featuring discussions on different approaches in the fight against Islamophobia, manifestation of Islamophobia in some European countries, Islamophobia in the international media.
15 March was designated as the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia” at the session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM), held in Niamey, Niger, on 27-28 November 2020. In 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring March 15 as “International Day to Combat Islamophobia”.