ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s UN envoy has called on the international community to criminalize manifestations of hate speech such as Islamophobia, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported on Saturday.
Pakistan has for years lobbied for concerted efforts to fight anti-Muslim hatred and for banning Islamophobic content.
In March, the UN unanimously adopted a resolution introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) designating March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s deputy representative to the UN, Mohammad Aamir Khan, called for government interventions to “domestically criminalize certain manifestations of hate speech, such as racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and incitement to violence.”
Khan was speaking during a session organized in connection with International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
“Hate speech is a threat to everyone,” he said, as quoted by APP.
“Hate speech is on the rise worldwide, with the potential to incite violence, undermine social cohesion and tolerance based on xenophobia, racism, Islamophobia, hatred and other forms of intolerance and discrimination.”
The Pakistani envoy called for action under the umbrella of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.
“There is a collective responsibility to address hate speech in the present day to prevent further violence in the future,” he said.