OIC Regrets Islamaphobia Being Used As Instrument Of Electoral Politics

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 29 (Bernama) -- The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) regrets that Islamaphobia is being used as an instrument of electoral politics, its secretary-general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said. "This could seriously undermine the international community's efforts aim of interfaith harmony that could underwrite peace and security, particularly in a world faced with the menace of terrorism," he said. He said this in his speech at the High Level Segment of the 19th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council (HRC) on Tuesday. His speech was made available here. Saying that Islamaphobia is a contemporary manifestation of racism, Ihsanoglu said combatting Islamaphobia is a priority at the OIC. On the HRC Session, he said that it marked the first anniversary of the consensual passage of 16/18 resolution aimed at combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatisation, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence against persons based on religion and belief. The secretary-general referred to the efforts of the most recent Istanbul Process Conference held in Washington, D.C. in the U.S. last December for a consensual implementation of this resolution. Ihsanoglu also emphasised the importance of having a structured engagement and the need to address grey areas and interrelated issues by accommodating the concerns of all parties. Such an approach will enable everyone to address the real issues and chart a sustainable and results-oriented course of action at the national and the international levels, he said. He asserted that the OIC has demonstrated ability to build consensus on the most sensitive of international issues. -- BERNAMA