OIC warns of rising Islamophobia in Europe

Vienna, NU Online
The head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, warned Thursday of a rise in Islamophobia in Europe, saying it would put Muslims and Europe on "collision course".

The problem of intolerance towards Muslims was "particularly acute" in Europe, Ihsanoglu said in an address to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) at its Vienna headquarters.<<>br />
The phenomenon was an "affront" to human rights and the dignity of Muslims and a rise of hatred and intolerance was "among the gravest threats to stability and peace and a serious challenge to security", he told the OSCE's Permanent Council.

Ihsanoglu pointed to the growing support for far-right parties "with their completely incomprehensible aversion towards Islam.

"They take Islam's teachings completely out of context and manipulate the thinking of average Europeans via a distorted and negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims," the OIC chief said.

The OIC, set up in 1969, is the second largest intergovernmental organisation after the United Nations with 57 members and a mandate to reflect the collective voice of the Muslim world.

Ihsanoglu cited a referendum in Switzerland last year which banned the construction of new minarets.

The move was not only an attack on religious freedom, but also "deeply divisive" and carried with it the risk of "a collision course", Ihsanoglu said.

He also cited the controversy over the Mohammed cartoons in Denmark which "fuelled intolerance under the guise of freedom of expression".

"It is high time for the OSCE and OIC to put together tangible and result-oriented efforts to motivate people ... and develop a culture of respect and tolerance for the whole range of civil and political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights of people of all beliefs and backgrounds," Ihsanoglu said. (dar)