Abu Dhabi: The UAE urged member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to take action to stop the spread of Islamophobia in the West, a parliamentary leader said yesterday.
Radio 2: Nasreen Abdulla reports on the call to fight Islamophobia
* Audio supplied by Radio 2
Abdul Aziz Abdullah Al Ghurair, Speaker of the Federal National Council, said concerted efforts were necessary to stop Islamophobia, that impaired Muslim-West relations.
The call came as Al Ghurair, also chairman of the Islamic Inter-parliamentary Union of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), opened the 13th meeting of the union in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
Misunderstanding
"Recent Western calls to protect Christians in the East is a natural outcome of Islamophobia triggered by misunderstanding and mistrust of the tolerance of Islam and its respect of religious freedom and human dignity," Al Ghurair said.
Al Ghurair called for building a broad coalition from all faiths in the fight against Islamophobia and urged parliamentary leaders from 51 Muslim countries to be effective in inter faith dialogue, especially the New York-based Alliance of Civilisation under the auspices of the United Nations.
The alliance, established in 2005, at the initiative of Spain and Turkey, works in partnership with states, international and regional organisations, civil society groups, foundations, and the private sector to mobilise efforts that promote cross-cultural relations among diverse nations and communities.
Stressing that actions speak louder than words, Al Ghurair said the executive committee has formulated a five-year action plan to address political, economic, social and cultural challenges of the Islamic world and relations with other faiths.
Boycott
Iran has vowed to boycott the meeting of Islamic parliamentary leaders over a proposal by the UAE to create a committee to resolve disputes between Muslim nations.
