The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) discussed Wednesday the establishment of a permanent OIC human rights commission and released its third report on Islamophobia, which criticized the West and Europe for failing integration policies. Sources said that the second day of the OIC's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in the Tajikistan capital failed to agree on a location for the new commission's headquarters and that member states would instead select a site through a binding vote. The gathering addressed a series of political, legal, economic and cultural issues, including Iran's cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and condemned Israel's possession of nuclear capabilities. The ministers also rejected unilateral economic sanctions on OIC member states. The OIC's third annual report on Islamophobia described the issue as a “clear and present danger to global peace and security”, with OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu saying that the “distortion of Islam geared towards denigrating and dehumanizing Muslims insults the deep seated religious feelings and violates their fundamental rights and dignity thus threatening the multicultural fabric of the societies”. “Such stereotyping leads to discrimination and violence defying justification on both political as well as economic grounds. It poses grave and multidimensional challenges to global as well as regional peace, security and stability,” Ihsanoglu said. “The situation merits a concerted effort on the part of the international community to evolve norms that would underwrite, promote and protect interfaith and inter-communal understanding, respect and harmony.” According to the six-chapter report, Islamophobia “bears testimony to the fact that the West in general and Europe in particular have not been successful with regard to their integration policies”.
