Islamophobia A Threat to Entire World: Georgian Islamic Official
If Islamophobia is not tackled, global peace and stability will be undermined, Sheikh Ramin Igdayev told IQNA in an interview.
He said Islamophobia has been growing in Western countries since the last decade of the last century, adding that anti-Islam elements in the West have fomenting Islamophobia and acting against the religion using the actions of a few extremist groups as the pretext.
Islamophobia has been fomented in the West via different means such as the media, movies, computer games, documentaries, etc, he deplored.
There are also explicit Islamophobic acts in countries like Denmark, Norway and France such as desecrating the Holy Quran and the Holy Prophet (PBUH), Sheikh Igdayev stated.
He said Islamophobia is not a phenomenon that is created and spread by ordinary people but there is information that millions of dollars are spent by certain groups and currents to spread it.
These groups use Takfiri and extremist groups as a pretext to stir up people against Muslims and Islam, he said, adding that they want to prevent Muslims from going to Western countries and also legitimize attacks on Muslim countries.
Sheikh Igdayev warned that spreading Islamophobia could threaten the entire world and undermine global peace and stability.
He said good intention is the main factor in tackling Islamophobia in the West, otherwise it will remain unresolved.
“Unfortunately, we do not see such good intentions from Western countries. For example, when there is desecration of Islamic sanctities (in the West), we only see silence and no objections, but when something happens to the one who has committed the act of desecration, all are united (in condemning it).”
He said as long as there are such double standards, one cannot expect Islamophobia to be dealt with.
Sheikh Igdayev also underlined that freedom of speech and freedom of expression by no means justify desecrating others’ sanctities and hurting their feelings.
As for what Muslim countries can do to confront Islamophobia, he said unity and solidarity are of paramount importance, adding that they must also unanimously condemn extremist and Takfiri groups.
