The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized Monday a policy roundtable entitled “The roundtable on islamophobia: political frameworks for facing challenges,” with the participation of more than 30 experts and policy-makers from the GCC states, the US, Europe, and Asia.
Hosted by the Policy and Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the roundtable discussed the public policy challenges related to the phenomenon of Islamophobia and discussed ways to work on framing a new approach for collective cooperation that aims to address Islamophobia, including structural and institutional frameworks, the work to address racist narratives hostile to Islam and Muslims, addressing misleading information in the media, and multifaceted social attitudes hostile to Islam.
The roundtable comes to frame policies to confront the challenges associated with the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia. This event is also part of a broader global initiative aimed at addressing global racism, including hatred against Muslims and Islam.
In her concluding remarks to the roundtable, HE Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater said that in today’s world, the malicious anti-Islam rhetoric had reached dangerous levels, adding that Islam and Muslims are deliberately targeted, while innocent people pay the price through displacement, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
Her Excellency pointed out that the State of Qatar had clarified its position regarding many of those incidents and policies, reiterating the State of Qatar’s commitment to supporting the initiatives that combat racism, including Islamophobia and hatred against Muslims, to improve the lives of millions around the world. Her Excellency added that those initiatives include education, dialogue, and policies aimed at building relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.
In his speech during the opening session, HE Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the General Secretariat of the Cooperation Council Dr. Abdulaziz Hamad Al Owaishek welcomed the State of Qatar’s hosting of the policy roundtable and the support of the GCC General Secretariat to hold this roundtable, stressing the importance of a collective approach to combating the phenomenon of Islamophobia.
In his opening speech to the roundtable, HE Director of Policy and Planning Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Khalid bin Fahad Al Khater called for the significance of recognizing the magnitude of the issue facing us all and thinking about how to respond.
His Excellency added that there is no doubt that the formulation of new policy frameworks would greatly support joint efforts that work to address the effects of this phenomenon of Islamophobia, unite all fronts to counter the spread of misinformation, spread awareness through media, education, and culture, as well as encourage respect for Islamic culture, beliefs, and values.
His Excellency pointed out that today, the State of Qatar is well-known globally as one of the strongest advocates of anti-racism policies, pointing to its participation in cooperation activities aimed at putting an end to racism.
Source: Qatar News Agency