The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu addressed today the Symposium on Tolerance in Vienna, Austria. He stressed on the need for tolerance as an imperative at the center of the global agenda. The two-day Symposium is organized jointly by the Turkish Parliament and the European Union. In his statement, the Secretary General said that respect for human rights, democratic pluralism, rule of law, transparency and accountability are universal values, and they are the product of the collective wisdom, conscience and progress of mankind. As such, he added, no single culture can claim sole ownership of such values. Ihsanoglu pointed out that self-fulfilling prophecies like clash of civilizations have fuelled divisions, misperceptions and apprehensions between the West and the Muslim world. In his view, the main problem emanates from lack of knowledge of "the other", and the negative propaganda perpetrated in the absence of knowing the other side or knowing the other side in the wrong context. In this context, he underlined Islamophobia as a contemporary manifestation of racism. "Islamophobia leads to hate crimes," said Ihsanoglu, "and as such, it generates fear, feelings of stigmatization, marginalization, alienation and rejection. The net result is heightened anxiety and rising violence. Islamophobia is also an assault on people's identity and their human dignity." The Secretary General listed some actions that should be done to correct this situation, foremost is for Western countries to recognize the problem and adopt a multifaceted approach. He also recommended taking account of the importance of the intellectual front and devising sound strategies to tackle the issue in the areas of value systems and perceptions. Furthermore, the West must define hate crimes broadly and address the information deficit as well as enact adequate legislation and implement this legislation effectively. In conjunction with national legislation, they should also implement international commitments and agreed norms. --More
