International Day to Combat Islamophobia: High Commissioner urges dialogue, tolerance and respect

Excellencies, colleagues,

I want to first wish Ramadan Kareem to all those observing.

Thank you to the Organization for Islamic Cooperation for convening this event, marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

We remember the 51 victims who were murdered exactly five years ago at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand.

And we remember all victims around the world who have suffered, and continue to suffer, the consequences of hate.

We are living through an era of intensifying global crisis and conflict, spurred by deep – and deadly – divisions between our human family. We see these tensions and divisions rising on many fronts, including through a wave of renewed hate speech, discrimination, and violence in all regions, including against Muslims.

All forms of religious hatred and intolerance are unacceptable.

The message today is perhaps more urgent than ever: we are all well past the hour to restore peace, tolerance and respect.

We know that fear breeds hate, ignorance and distrust of the other.

Islamophobia has stolen lives. It has dehumanized entire communities. It has sparked torrents of hate speech, magnified by social media. Many have been subjected to surveillance and religious profiling. Mosques have been attacked, and sometimes destroyed. Counter-extremism laws, policies and practices have been misused, leading to illegal arrests, arbitrary detention and violence.

In the context of the current conflict in the Middle East, multiple reports have emerged showing huge spikes in Islamophobic incidents: for example, an up to 600% increase in some countries in North America and Europe. One organisation noted a tenfold increase in incidents between 7 and 23 October in one country in the Asia-Pacific region.

The surge in Islamophobia is shocking, and it is occurring as part of a broader trend. I am also profoundly concerned about the continuing rise of Antisemitism, Christianophobia and prejudices against people of other religions or beliefs; of hatred that is directed at migrants, refugees and minorities, including Roma; about deep-seated racism against people of African descent and Indigenous Peoples; and many other forms of discrimination and xenophobia.

The recording and collecting of reliable data are essential for more effective responses to hate speech and hate crime, everywhere. More must be done to ensure incidents are reflected in official statistics and that all countries have the systems and methodology needed to record disaggregated data.

Excellencies, Colleagues,

Two years ago, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution 76/254, a crucial step forward in recognising Islamophobia around the world and the need to put an end to it.

The world remains far from achieving this ambition.

States must urgently step up their efforts to combat intolerance against people based on religion or belief, within the parameters of international human rights law, using the many tools they have at their disposal. Several frameworks already exist. Human Rights Council resolution 16/18 has set out an action plan for countries to address religious intolerance, and the Istanbul Process is a dedicated intergovernmental mechanism to implement it. The Rabat Plan of Action, developed by my Office, and the Beirut Declaration on “Faith for Rights” can further guide countries’ efforts.

And to address the root causes of religious hatred, my Office’s practical guide to developing comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation is a crucial tool to support States in protecting minority rights.

While States have a leading role to play in countering discrimination and intolerance, governments, religious leaders, faith-based actors, civil society organizations and social media platforms can and should all work together to bridge divides and foster deeper dialogue and understanding.

Faith literacy – in other words, knowledge and understanding about the values of each religion and belief – is also crucial. I urge States to include it as part of comprehensive training initiatives on combating religious hatred for law enforcement officers and the judiciary, faith-based actors, teachers and media professionals.

I also urge States to define and implement clear measures to address discrimination in the job and housing markets, within criminal justice systems and in national security responses.

Colleagues,

I’d like to think that humanity’s superpower is the richness of our diversity.

I sincerely hope that by embracing and celebrating our differences, we can stop these vicious cycles of prejudice, hate and violence.

And in doing so, we can rebuild the space for dialogue, tolerance and respect for our fellow human beings, no matter their religion, and no matter who or what they believe in.

Thank you.