Combating Islamophobia on the International Stage: The Need for Muslim Unity

Main Article Content

Saul Jihad Takahashi

Abstract

Abstract: Islamophobia has become the global norm, with governments in many countries blatantly discriminating against Muslims. Islamophobia should be recognized internationally as a violation of international human rights norms, and governments that adopt Islamophobic laws and policies should be held accountable for those violations. Muslim countries should take the lead in raising this issue at international fora, but unity on this front, like on other issues, remains elusive. Nevertheless, recent initiatives by Qatar and Malaysia show promise. 


Keywords: Islamophobia, international human rights law, Muslim unity, United Nations,


DOI: 10.17576/sinergi.0301.2023.03


Article Information: 21 December 2022; Acceptance date: 10 May 2023; Publication Date: 31 July 2023.


Acknowledgement and Declaration: The Author would also like to express our gratitude to SINERGI’s anonymous reviewers and their constructive feedback in improving the quality of the manuscript.


 


Abstrak: Islamofobia telah menjadi norma global, dengan kerajaan di banyak negara secara terang-terangan mendiskriminasi umat Islam. Islamofobia harus diiktiraf di peringkat antarabangsa sebagai pelanggaran norma hak asasi manusia antarabangsa, dan kerajaan yang menerima pakai undang-undang dan dasar Islamofobia harus bertanggungjawab atas pelanggaran tersebut. Negara-negara Islam harus memimpin dalam membangkitkan isu ini di forum antarabangsa, tetapi perpaduan dalam bidang ini, seperti dalam isu-isu lain, masih sukar difahami. Namun begitu, inisiatif baru-baru ini oleh Qatar dan Malaysia menunjukkan janji.


Kata Kunci: Islamofobia di peringkat antarabangsa, undang-undang hak asasi antarabangsa, perpaduan umat Islam, Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu,


DOI: 10.17576/sinergi.0301.2023.03


Maklumat Artikel: Tarikh penghantaran: 21 Disember 2023; Tarikh penerimaan: 10 Mei 2023; Tarikh Penerbitan: 31 Julai 2023.


Penghargaan dan Pengistiharan: Penulis ingin merakamkan rasa terima kasih kepada Perwasit Bebas tanpa nama SINERGI dan maklum balas membina mereka dalam meningkatkan kualiti manuskrip.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Takahashi, S. J. (2023). Combating Islamophobia on the International Stage: The Need for Muslim Unity. SINERGI : Journal of Strategic Studies & International Affairs, 3(1), 25–34. https://doi.org/10.17576/sinergi.0301.2023.03
Section
Original Research Article

References

Bazian, Hatem. November 29, 2022a. “Qatar’s World Cup, Islamophobia, ‘Imagined Geography, & Western Hypocrisy.” Medium [San Francisco], Foundation of African American Civic Empowerment. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://medium.com/foundation

Bazian, Hatem December 18, 2022b. “Danish TV, Monkeys, Racism & Colonial Imaginaries.” Medium [San Francisco], Foundation of African American Civic Empowerment. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://medium.com/@Prof.hatembazian/dutch-tv-monkeys-racism-colonial-

CAGE. 2022. “‘We are Beginning to Spread Terror’: The State-Sponsored Persecution of Muslims in France”, CAGE [London]. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.cage.ngo/we-are-beginning-to-spread-terror-report#:~:text=état%20en%20France-,“We%20are%20Beginning%20to%20Spread%20Terror”%3A%20The%20State%2D,the%20government%20of%20Emmanuel%20Macron.

CAIR. June 10, 2023 “Twenty Years Too Many: A Call to Stop the FBI’s Secret Watchlist.” Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.cair.com/press_releases/dc-cair-to-release-report-on-20-years-of-fbi-abusing-secret-watchlist-during-uscmos-8th-national-muslim-advocacy-day-on-capitol-hill/

Qarjouli, Asmahan. (May 31, 2023): “Qatari Official Says, ‘Global Threat’ Islamophobia being Fuelled instead of Stopped”, Doha News [Doha]. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://dohanews.co/qatari-official-says-global-threat-islamophobia-being-fuelled-instead-of-stopped/#:~:text=Instead%20of%20stopping%20it%2C%20prejudice,%2DMu

Foot, Rosemary. July 8, 2022. “The UN High Commissioner’s contentious visit to China”, East Asia Forum [Washington D.C.]. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2022/07/08/the-un-high-commissioners-contentious-visit-to-china/

Hafez, Farid. 2022. “Islamophobia in Austria, National Report.” In European Islamophobia Report, edited by Enes Bayrakli and Farid Hafez, 75-102. Ankara: Leopold Weiss Institute.

HRW. July 08, 2022. “Bachelet should Fix Disastrous China Visit by Standing with Victims.” Human Rights Watch (HRW). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/12/bachelet-should-fix-disastrous-china-visit-standing-victims

HRW. October 8, 2020. “‘An Open Prison Without End’: Myanmar’s Mass Detention of Rohingya in Rakhine State.” Human Rights Watch (HRW). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.hrw.org/report/2020/10/08/

IHRA. 2018. “Information on Endorsement and Adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.” International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) [Stockholm]. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/resources/working-definitions-charters/working-definition-antisemitism/adoption-endorsement, last viewed 13 June 2023.

Kayaoglu, Taran. September 28, 2020. “The Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Declaration on Human Rights: Promises and Pitfalls.” Brookings Institute. [Stockholm]. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-organization-of-islamic-cooperations-declaration-on-human-rights-promises-and-pitfalls/

Raj, Sushasini. and Jeffrey Gettleman. August 31, 2019. “A Mass Citizenship Check in India Leaves 2 Million People in Limbo.” New York Times. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/31/world/asia/india-muslim-citizen-list.

OHCHR. August 31, 2022. “OHCHR Assessment of Human Rights Concerns in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China.” Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/country-reports/ohchr-assessment-human-rights-concerns-xinjiang-uyghur-autonomous-region

OSJI. August 2022. “Copenhagen Residents Challenge Approval of ‘Ghetto Package’ Eviction Plan.” Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) Fact Sheet. Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.justiceinitiative.org/newsroom/danish-court-to-consider

Petersen, Marie Juul and Kayaoglu, Turan 2019. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation and Human Rights. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press.

Shaheed, Ahmed. February 25, 2021. “Countering Islamophobia/anti-Muslim Hatred to Eliminate Discrimination and Intolerance based on Religion or Belief.” Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/report-countering-islamophobiaanti-muslim-hatred-eliminate-discrimination-and

Thompson, Paula., Rhonda Itaoui, and Hatem Bazian. 2019. Islamophobia in India: Stoking Bigotry. Berkeley: Islamophobia Studies Center.

United Nations General Assembly (2022a): “International Day to Combat Islamophobia”, resolution A/76/254, 17 March 2022.

United Nations General Assembly (2022b): “61st Plenary Meeting, Official Records”, A/76/PV.61, 15 March 2022.

UNHRC. August 9, 2019. “Letter to the United Nations Office at Geneva addressed to the President of the Human Rights Council”, United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Accessed on July 5, 2023. https://crg.berkeley.edu/research/research-initiatives/islamophobia-research-and-documentation-project