IT is well known that the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution 12408 (2022) proclaiming March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. In Azerbaijan, large-scale events regarding Islamophobia are held every year.
On March 8, 20024, an international conference themed "Embracing Diversity: Tackling Islamophobia in 2024" was held in Baku, Azerbaijan on March 8 and 9, 2024. Many participated, including high-ranking officials, spiritual leaders, experts, academicians, dignitaries, scholars and media representatives, from 31 countries.
In his address at the conference, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said: "We are witnessing the portrayal of Islam as a potential threat, with doubt, discrimination and open hatred against the Muslims becoming increasingly widespread with each passing day.
"As stated in the UN resolution, on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, the rise in instances of discrimination, intolerance and violence directed against religious communities is a source of concern".
Various ethnic and religious communities live together peacefully in Azerbaijan where Muslims from the Sunni and Shia sects pray together in the same mosque.
The army that destroyed Armenia's occupying force and expelled it from Azerbaijan in 2020 included people from all ethnic and religious groups living in Azerbaijan. The fact that Azerbaijan is a country of differences and tolerance has completely bankrupted Armenia's baseless "clash of religions" propaganda against Azerbaijan.
This also meant that Armenia's "efforts were wasted" because Armenia has tried to "get points" from radical circles in the West for years by destroying Islamic structures like mosques, etc. in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. Armenia even attempted to present itself as the "front line" of Christianity.
One of the main reasons why Azerbaijan accepts Islamophobia as one of the most important threats to the establishment of world peace and makes serious efforts in this direction is that it feels this bitter truth more and more so clearly on various Western-centred platforms.
The overwhelming majority of cases related to Islamophobia are observed in "developed" Western countries. Namely, the widespread attacks and insults against Prophet Muhammad SAW and other sacred concepts of Muslims' beliefs as "freedom of expression" and "freedom of action/assembly". These acts cause the concept of democracy to gradually suffer significant damage.
This also distances the concept from its essence and core. The transformation of this into state and government policies indicates a more dire situation.
Because the concept of democracy, which is a value developed by humanity for centuries, cannot be wasted for political and ideological purposes. No country has the right to interpret the general moral norms and values of humanity in line with its own interests.
In parallel with this situation, international institutions and organisations cannot be turned into tools for the realisation of the political-ideological interests of certain countries. Taking these institutions beyond their founding purposes and philosophy harms the institutions themselves the most.
The fact that international institutions such as the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament turn into implementers of the orders of certain lobby groups or certain major governments, damages the reputation of these institutions the most.
Unfortunately, France still has not given up on its colonial spirit. It still carries out various activities in this direction, such as arming Armenia and abusing the power it has in international institutions and international media.
While doing these, it interprets the concepts of democracy, secularism and international law in a way that is contrary to the essence of these concepts.
Azerbaijan, a large part of whose territory was occupied by Armenia for nearly 30 years, intensified its efforts to ensure peace in the region after eliminating this violation of international law through military means in 2020.
The political-ideological obsessions, colonial ambitions and unilateral self-interest of some states appear as important obstacles to achieving peace.
While considering the establishment of regional and world peace, it is essential to eliminate Islamophobia - which had emerged and developed as a new form of racism that includes, among others, discrimination, stigmatisation and exclusion in all areas of life - and to plan activities in this noble direction.
The writer is Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kuala Lumpur
