WASHINGTON – The United States on Monday denounced what it called a spike in anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe and Asia, pointing to restrictions and violence against Muslims. A wide-ranging annual report on religious freedom was released by Secretary of State John Kerry. The State Department report, which covered 2012, said that “Anti-Muslim rhetoric and actions were clearly on the rise – particularly in Europe and Asia.” “Government restrictions, which often coincided with societal animosity, resulted in anti-Muslim actions that affected everyday life for numerous believers,” it said. In Myanmar, officials allegedly fanned deadly anti-Muslim violence in Rakhine state while in China, authorities showed less tolerance toward the mostly Muslim Uighur community and Tibetans, the report said. It said that Muslims also faced new restrictions in 2012 in countries ranging from Belgium, which banned face-covering religious attire in classrooms, to India where schools in Mangalore restricted headscarves.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has established an Islamophobia Observatory and publishes reports on the issue Islamophobia has grown from an initial phase where it was defended in the name of freedom of expression as seen in the case of the blasphemous Danish cartoon to the stage where it has been institutionalized and politicized, OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said during a seminar in Jeddah last year. It has also announced plans to establish an effective satellite television channel to confront Islamophobia. – Agencies
