Monitoring Desk
NEW YORK: An ambassadorial meeting of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member states called by Pakistan on Wednesday denounced the recent heinous act of desecration of Holy Quran in Sweden and the Netherlands.
The meeting said in a statement that such heinous acts were recent examples of Islamophobia. The Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers is currently chaired by Pakistan.
Historic resolution passed UN general assembly
By the historic resolution passed by the UN General Assembly last year, the meeting, chaired by Pakistan’s Ambassador Munir Akram, also decided to arrange a special meeting at the UN in New York to recognize the Day to Combat Islamophobia.
According to the Pakistani ambassador, the OIC countries will use this opportunity to urge solidarity and collaboration on a global scale to confront and eradicate anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions such as racial profiling, discrimination, negative stereotyping, and stigmatization of Muslims. He also said that as a follow-up to the resolution, the OIC would compel the UN Secretary-General to create an action plan to prevent and reverse Islamophobia in collaboration with the OIC members.
The Pakistani envoy also informed the OIC meeting that on March 8th, International Women’s Day, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari would host and lead a High-Level Conference on Women in Islam in New York. It was highlighted that the OIC Member States expressed their gratitude and continued support for Pakistan’s initiatives during this meeting.
The OIC meeting on Wednesday approved Tajikistan’s bid to be elected to the UN Security Council for the year 2028–2029, among other topics on the agenda. The OIC meeting was briefed by Ambassador Riyad Mansour, Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the United Nations, on the recent disturbing developments in Palestine and Jerusalem, especially the violations of the Al Aqsa Mosque’s sanctity.
