(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Qabil Ashirov Read more
Racial and religious hatred is the biggest plague in the modern
world. Unfortunately, despite all social and economic developments,
some people or communities have such hideous mindsets. They
consider themselves and their religious thoughts superior in
comparison with other ethnicities. Mankind has observed many wars
and clashes between different religions and races but it has never
witnessed such kind of hatred that the modern world bears. Unlike
wars and clashes in the Ancient world and the Middle Ages, some
modern wars, driven by racial and religious hatred, are observed
with ethnic cleansing.
Today, an international event themed "Protecting Diversity:
Fighting Islamophobia in 2024" held in Azerbaijan is dedicated to
increasing joint efforts against the mentioned radical thinking.
During the event, the representatives of OIC, UN, ICESCO and a
number of organizations gave speeches and put forward valuable
ideas on preventing the concept of Islamophobia.
Speaking at the opening of the event, President Ilham Aliyev
pointed out that today the European Union Parliament and PACE have
become a platform that promotes Islamophobia.
“Unfortunately, certain Western institutions that also portray
themselves as democratic are engaging in anti-Islamic activities.
Today, the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe have become platforms that promote
Islamophobia and pursue policies based on this ideology," the
President said.
To distinguish the concept of Islamophobia, one can start with
the mass cleansing policy of Armenia against the Muslim community
in the South Caucasus.
The First Garabagh War, and the expulsion of Muslims, more
precisely Azerbaijanis and Kurds, from Armenia in the 1990s is the
best example of the said clashes. Armenians, driven by the sense of
Islamaphobia and hatred against Turks, were not limited to
expulsion of Azerbaijanis and Muslims from their hometowns but also
destroyed all cultural heritages. They tried to erase all tracks of
Muslims from Armenia and Garabagh.
It is worth noting that such kind of barbarity does not occur
only in Asia, but in Europe as well, which is considered the
Lokomotive of the modern world. For example, well-known
Islamaphobic Dutch politician Geert Wilders called Muslims
cockroaches, and several times insulted Quran, the holy book of
Islam. Another example of an Islamophobic event has happened
recently in France against Azerbaijanis and Azerbaijani
culture.
In the modern world, where there is a fight for women's rights,
the statue of Azerbaijani poetess Khurshud Banu Natavan is
subjected to barbaric attacks in the Middle of Europe, which is
considered the headquarters of the women's rights struggle. The
officials of France, where there are thousands of statues of
different people, could not tolerate the statue of a Muslim poetess
who did not have any relations with politics and dismantled it in
Evian-les-Bains. Such behavior of France, once again revealed the
main character, literally hatred against Muslims, once again.
In a comment to Azernews on the issue, Irish
political analyst and historian Patrick Walsh noted that the
Armenians have an ideology that denies the genuineness of
Azerbaijan as a nation. He said that the land upon which the
Azerbaijan state was established has been subjected to Armenian
claims for over a century.
“The destructive activity has essentially been aimed at erasing
evidence of non-Armenian presence. In form it is Islamaphobic since
it is directed at the expression of Islam, the main religion of
Azerbaijanis but in substance it is an ethnic form of violence,”
Walsh said.
As for the statue of Azerbaijani poetess Khurshud Banu Natevan,
he said that the attacks on the statue are probably inspired by an
Armenophile tendency in French society mixed with Islamaphobia. He
also pointed out that there is increasing Islamaphobia across the
West and much of this is anti-migrant and the Muslim communities
are the special target of right-wing parties across Europe.
“Anti-Muslim has increased in recent months in response to
demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. The right,
which used to be antisemitic is now strongly pro-Zionist. It sees
Muslims as the enemy today. Of course, these groups are often
pro-Armenian too, because they identify the Armenians as a
Christian people under attack from the 'Muslim hordes',” the Irish
historian underscored.
He also touched on Geert Wilders issue and said that he is the
most extreme example of what I have described - anti-migrant and
anti-Muslim. Patrick noted that he is a provocative character with
a total intolerance of Islam engaging in highly inflammatory stunts
that most people would find unacceptable.
“In the UK for example such behaviour would be criminal.
However, the Dutch have a strong libertarian culture that is
opposed to the multiculturalism one finds in the UK or Ireland.
This permits attacks on religion which we would find outrageous and
a danger to the public good. Unfortunately, this form of politics
is on the rise across Europe and even in the UK there are
manifestations of it, though less open and extravagant.
Basically, the anti-Islamic sentiment found in the West is an
anti-migrant phenomenon. The West has a declining birth rate and
needs migrants. However, the large amounts of immigration seen
lately have enabled right-wing anti-Islamic groups to increase
their support, directing their ire at society problems at incoming
Muslims,” the pundit concluded.
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