Minister For Constructive Dialogue To Counter Islamophobia

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Wednesday emphasized the need for engaging Muslims with western countries to spread awareness about Islam among non-Muslims through constructive dialogue to counter Islamophobia

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jan, 2021 ):Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan on Wednesday emphasized the need for engaging Muslims with western countries to spread awareness about Islam among non-Muslims through constructive dialogue to counter Islamophobia.

The misconceptions spread in the world because there were no practical display of the teachings of Islam. It is important to practically manifesting the true spirit of Islam, he said while speaking at an online conference here.

The conference "Countering Islamophobia: Deconstructing Misconceptions",organized by Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS) was aimed at understanding the rising dilemma of Islamophobia, examine the world's perspective, and establish a unified response by Muslim nations to tackle the anti-Muslim sentiments.

Ali Muhammad Khan mentioned that "Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sent as a blessing not only for Muslims but for the entire humanity, it is something to ponder that why our religion of peace is now seen as a religion of hatred?" Vice-Chancellor, Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) Dr. Athar Mahboob highlighted the Systematic Genocide of Muslims around the world and Moral Imperatives.

He underlined the need of collective approach to handle the Islamophobia effectively as it has always existed in the west.

Muslims should realize and spread that Islam is a religion of accommodation, from the very start our religion teaches us to respect other religions and their places of worship it also protects the rights of non-Muslims, he noted.

Chairman, Department of History University of Punjab, Lahore Dr. Mahboob Hussain shared his thoughts on the Historical Perspective of Islamophobia: Roots and Causes.

He highlighted that Islam became a victim of racial prejudice due to its worldwide expansion in a very short period, it challenged the west culturally and politically.

He presented an overview of the research that how the Australian public is being bombarded by anti-Islamic news by its media under negative connotations.

Dr. Minhas Majeed Marwat from University of Peshawar discussed the Role of Muslim Countries and Institutions, Specifically OIC, in Effectively Tackling Islamophobia.

She highlighted the role of the Organization of Islamic Council (OIC)and various steps taken by it. The OIC has been successful in many areas but it has come short vis-�-vis certain challenges. It formed an Islamophobia observatory to observe the magnitude of Islamophobia from around the world.

Head of Department Management Science and Humanities, DHA Suffa University, Karachi Dr. Faheem Akhter rightfully pointed out that Islam is a religion of peace, it is the fastest-growing religion in the world and particularly in the west.

He also highlighted that after the event of 9/11 more and more people started to research and study Islam.

Faheem presented some statistics and stated that a study shows that by 2030 the Muslim population will increase by 35% across the globe.

He also mentioned that the west is not particularly afraid of Islam but it is afraid of Muslims. This is the area of concern that we must work on.

Muslims have a collective responsibility to remove the tag of terrorists from themselves and spread the true teachings of our religion.

The conference was moderated by Member Board of Experts, CGSS Tariq Khattak, , and attended by 70 people from various sectors. It was also viewed live on social media platforms by more than 300 viewers.