Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Dr. Youssef al-Othaimeen said that the organization seeks to intensify cooperation with the international community to develop a comprehensive plan addressing the threat of extremism and terrorism, taking into account security, economic, cultural and social dimensions.
Othaimeen added that the organization is keen to confront the false and malicious ideas about Islam through its initiatives to monitor and address Islamophobia; the OIC Islamophobia Observatory and an information strategy to confront this phenomenon.
In his speech at the headquarters of the General Secretariat in Jeddah on Sunday, Othaimeen said that the organization is exerting great efforts to establish the values of dialogue, communication and coexistence, citing his recent meeting with Pope Francis of the Vatican and Pope Twadros II and Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria.
This came during the preparatory meeting of the 45th session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization, which will be held in Dhaka on May 5 and 6, 2018.
He shed light on the efforts exerted by the organization in regards to the Palestinian cause and Jerusalem in light of the continued escalation of colonial settlement and attacks on the Holy sites.
He stressed the organization's keenness to find a solution to the issue of Muslim Rohingya and Muslim minorities in the Philippines, Thailand, Central Africa, Sri Lanka and Europe.
He also discussed the efforts on addressing issues in some member states, especially in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Mali, Somalia and Afghanistan, in addition to Kashmir and the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.
On the other hand, Head of Media Center of OIC Maha Akil told Asharq Al-Awsat that the wave of enmity against Muslims has seen a decline in the USA after President Donald Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia and his attendance of the Islamic-US summit in Riyadh in which he changed his rhetoric and view of the Muslim world.
Akil pointed out that the racist demonstrations against Muslims were faced by larger demonstrations defending Muslims, calling for peaceful coexistence and rejecting hatred.
“In Europe, the pace of hostility against Muslims has increased since 2015, especially after the refugee crisis,” Akil said.
“We have been noting an increase in the level of Islamophobia in the field of education, work, media, politics and judiciary in Europe and an increase in violence against Muslims in countries where they are minorities, such as in Central Europe.”
“Unfortunately the growing feelings of populism and Islamophobia comes first because of the wrong linkage between Muslims and terrorism,” she explained.
