Fahad Ali Larik
Islamophobia has been a leading social evil worldwide for many past years. It deepens its roots within the social structure with each passing day. The incidents such as the Christchurch Mosque Attack in Newzealand (2019), Burkini Bans in France (2016), and Anti Muslim riots in India indicate that Islamophobia is no more a regional issue but a global one. Recently, the desecration of the Holy Quran in Stockholm has proved that Islamophobia is still existant and exploited under the banner of freedom of speech. The Islamophobic incident in the capital of Sweden has caused outrage in Muslim countries. Although Swedish government has ensured the protection of the holy scripture from vandalism in response to the incident, Muslim world has shown concerns regarding the rise of Islamophobia globally endangering and maligning Islamic beliefs. Muslims from all over the world have stood up against this act by protesting and condemning it on social media platforms. Many Muslim countries such as Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco and the Middle Eastern countries have seriously condemned this blasphemous attack on Islam and demanded strict action against those who were involved in this act. The incident has also drawn the attention of the UN which has recently announced to hold a peaceful debate on the incident. The human rights watchdog has actively engaged to combat Islamophobia for decades. The UN General Assembly resolutions are in place to promote religious tolerance and peace among individuals from different religious backgrounds. Therefore it is hoped that the debate will help the UN to take some steps further. Hatred against Islam has been a longstanding issue across the globe. Most Muslims especially living in the Western countries often face religious and racial discrimination on the daily basis. Rather than highlighting their grievances, western media has also left no stone unturned to depict Muslims as extremists and peripheries. Several frameworks and agreements at international level were formed to stop the spread of Islamophobia. But, unfortunately, the countries ,where its roots lie, seem reluctant to follow them. It is high time that all Muslim countries should unite and build a diplomatic strategy to combat this evil effectively. They should hold a peaceful dialogue to gather countries for a collective action against it in order to eliminate prevailing Islamophobic elements in the society. They should also urge organizations to promote awareness of Islamic beliefs among individuals so as to encourage religious tolerance in the society. If the Muslim world fail to take strict measures against this unformidable challenge then Islamophobia will soon become the norm of the world.