ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for strict action against the websites fanning the flames of hate to divide humanity, and urged the Muslim world to present their case at international forums and help the world better understand Islam.
The prime minister — in an interview with the CBC’s chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton aired late on Sunday, also broadcasted by Pakistan Television — said the use of terms like “Islamic extremism” and “Islamic radicalism” started following the 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses and then the 9/11 attacks.
Imran said the use of the term “Islamic radicals” shows as if there was something wrong with the religion which turned its followers radical. Contrarily, terrorism has no religion as extremists were found in every society, he observed.
He said the Muslims living in western countries, not the Muslim states, suffered at the hands of a rising tide of Islamophobia and called for bridging the gap by improving the understanding of Islam.
“Everyone is shocked in [Pakistan] because we saw the family picture, and so a family being targeted like that has had a deep impact in Pakistan,” Imran said.
The prime minister said the recent wave of terrorism attack on Muslim communities in Western societies demanded a heightened focus on online radicalisation.
Following the tragic killing of a Pakistan-origin family in the London city of Ontario in an Islamophobic attack, Imran took to his Twitter handle to express his grief. “Saddened to learn of the killing of a Muslim Pakistani-origin Canadian family in London, Ontario,” he wrote.
Saddened to learn of the killing of a Muslim Pakistani-origin Canadian family in London, Ontario. This condemnable act of terrorism reveals the growing Islamophobia in Western countries. Islamophonia needs to be countered holistically by the international community.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) June 8, 2021
He said the recurrent acts of terrorism revealed the growing tide of Islamophobia in the West. “Islamophobia needs to be countered holistically by the international community,” he stressed.
Imran told Barton that he had also raised the issue with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, describing him as a leader who understood the importance of fighting online hate and Islamophobia.
The prime minister then urged other leaders of the Western nations to make such a commitment. “The world leaders, whenever they decide upon taking action, this will be dealt with,” he opined.
Imran reiterated that there was not enough motivation to act against Islamophobia, and that some leaders in the Western countries, in fact, did not understand this phenomenon and the gravity of the situation.
He further said that he “mostly agrees” with Trudeau and his position on religious extremism, but also expressed concern with some domestic regulations in Canada that he expressed apprehension were contributing to Islamophobia.
He described Bill 21 — which bars some teachers, lawyers, police officers and others in the public sphere from wearing religious symbols on the job, including the hijab worn by Muslim women, kippahs worn by Jewish men, and turbans worn by Sikhs — as a form of “secular extremism” that led to intolerance especially against Muslims.
“You want humans to basically be free to express the way they want to be, as long as it doesn’t cause pain and hurt to other human beings,” he emphasised.
Imran wondered as to why it is an issue if someone covers their head or grows a beard. “People objecting to Hijab and beard is quite bizarre for me. In liberal democracies, why this is [still] an issue,” he questioned.
