Daily Times
April 22, 2021
Islamophobia is the negative representation of irrational hostility, fear, or hatred of Islam, Muslims, and Islamic culture, and active discrimination against these groups or individuals within them. Today, Islamophobia in Europe manifests itself through individual attitudes and behaviours, and the policies and practices of organizations and institutions. Many European states have a tendency to prefer the freedom of speech over religious freedom. Against this backdrop, Pakistan has justifiably asked the European Union to deter Islamophobia through meaningful legislation.
A horrendous rise of Islamophobia in Europe: According to the March-2021 report published by the United Nations Rights Council (UNHCR), ’’suspicion, discrimination and outright hatred towards Muslims has risen to epidemic proportions”. : Conversely to the urge of multiculturalism manifested in the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), the rise of Islmophobia in the West is evident of the fact that Professor Samuel Huntington’s theory of civilizational clash holds leverage in Europe. Sadly, in a climate of rapidly expanding diversity in Europe, Muslim minorities have been portrayed as non-belonging and wanting to separate themselves from the rest of society. Government policies have failed to ensure equal rights for all, forcing significant sections of Muslim minorities to face unemployment, poverty, and limited civic and political participation, all of which aggravate discrimination.