Muslim minorities being alienated and marginalised: Sartaj

ISTANBUL: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz stressed upon Ummah’s solidarity through rekindling the spirit of brotherhood, the one community characteristic which remained an envious Muslim trait in the past.

Alluding to the enormous modern day challenges, he said unity of Ummah was needed more than any other time in the 1,400 years long history.Addressing a meeting on Tuesday of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), he regretted that the Muslims and their territories remained under foreign occupation.

“A number of brotherly countries are facing unprecedented turmoil. Our people are facing unbearable misery andhardship as refugees in search of shelter.”

Sartaj underscored resolution of issues among the Muslim countries through mutual consultations by saying that it was not only their religious duty but also a political imperative for ensuring peace and security of their people.

“Any member state amongst us that could assist in bridging the differences between brotherly countries must step forward and help resolve them,” he added.Sartaj said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had acted in the same spirit when he visited Saudi Arabia and Iran during January.

He said they were also deeply concerned at the sharp rise in hate speech, discriminatory acts and social hostility against Muslims especially the Muslim minorities. He said the Muslim minorities are being alienated and marginalized. Many of them live in fear, he lamented.

The adviser observed the Western media’s ignorant portrayals of Muslims provided fuel to the campaign of hate and bigotry. “At a time when there was a need to urge all communities to develop tolerance and respect for each other, the unfortunate rise of political opportunism was witnessed by spreading fear and xenophobia,” he added.

He warned that if left unchecked such instances and political shortsightedness would grow rapidly in the years to come adding it is our collective responsibility to reverse these trends.He said they attached importance to the freedom of expression and emphasised that however they refused to accept that it allowed insults against Islam and hate speech and incitement to violence against Muslims.

He suggested that the OIC could take a role of a lead partner in interfaith dialogue.Sartaj said terrorism and violent extremism posed serious threats to international peace and security as it had inflicted immeasurable human and economic losses.

Pakistan has always supported that a comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy is needed to tackle this global problem, he added.He said the complexity of challenge also demanded enhanced and shared understanding and deeper dialogue between countries cultures and civilizations.

Terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, he further added.The adviser also commended the international community for adoption of consensus Resolution 16 18 in the Human Rights Council against intolerance and discrimination and stressed upon implementation of the resolution’s action plan agreed in the Human Rights Commission.