Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb has called for creating an OIC working Group to counter Islamophobia and misinformation.
She was addressing 12th Conference of the Ministers of Information of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in in Istanbul, Turkiye on Saturday.
The Information Minister proposed that a special OIC representative be appointed and a panel of experts be formed to give suggestions to the organization to deal with the incidents of Islamophobia and support the victims.
Emphasizing on intensified efforts to tackle Islamophobia, the Minister said the phenomenon is not abating as there has been a constant rise in mob lynching, pre-planned communal riots, and negative portrayal in electronic and social media in India.
She said OIC being a representative of the collective aspirations of the Muslim Ummah, must throw its full political and economic weight to protect the fundamental rights of Muslims and interests of Muslim minorities across the globe.
Putting forth her recommendations, the Minister said information colonialism has to be fought and a new independent information regime should be established.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said any internal trends within the Muslim states that feed misperceptions about Islam and the Muslim societies should be curtailed through better public participation, more inclusivity and focus on freedom of speech that is culturally sensitive and internationally projectable.
Underscoring the need for laws to identify and prosecute promoters of hate and deception, the Minister said we must fight fake news with real news alongside upholding the basic freedoms.
She reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to play role in ensuring capacity building and sharing of best practices within OIC member states.
Speaking about climate change, the Minister said media in the OIC Member States has a responsibility to highlight and underscore the importance of urgent, unified and decisive action by the international community to combat this challenge.
She said many OIC countries are facing climate injustice. She gave example of Pakistan and Nigeria which are amongst the most climate vulnerable countries in the world even though their carbon emission is negligible.
Highlighting Pakistan’s extensive operations for relief and rehabilitation in the flood-hit areas, Marriyum Aurangzeb said climate-induced floods have resulted in losses estimated at 40 billion dollars.
On the occasion, she also thanked the international community, in particular OIC countries, for their invaluable contribution to the flood relief efforts.
Source: Radio Pakistan