UNITED NATIONS
\nPakistan has called for \u201curgent and collective response\u201d to the rise in hate speech, disinformation and violent extremism, saying such narratives fracture societies and endanger peace and stability.
\n\u201cAll of this is targeting people of different faiths, including Muslims, and also individuals based on race, gender, and nationality,\u201d Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told a high-level event marking International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
\nHe said that Monday\u2019s meeting, organized by Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention, served as a reminder of \u201cour shared responsibility to counter intolerance, uphold dignity, and safeguard pluralism.\u201d In a message, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called hate speech a \u201cpoison in the well of society.\u201d
\nEthnic and religious minorities , he said, often bear the brunt — facing discrimination, exclusion and harm. \u201cTo drown out the voices of hate, we need partnerships at every level: among governments, civil society, private companies and religious and community leaders,\u201d the UN chief said.
\n\u201cWe need to counter toxic narratives with positive messaging and empower people to recognize, reject and stand up to hate speech. The United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech guides the way.\u201d In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, the Pakistani envoy said, \u201cThe surge in Islamophobia\u2014through discriminatory laws, defamation of religious symbols, and orchestrated vilification are particularly alarming trends.\u201d
\n\u201cMedia platforms, especially those aligned with dominant political forces, have enabled this hate,\u201d he said, noting that similar tactics now target other marginalized communities. Rising racism and xenophobia were fueling division and exclusion, the Pakistani envoy said.
\nIn this regard, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar welcomed the appointment of the UN Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 78\/264, led by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC, calling this institutional step is \u201ctimely.\u201d .
\n\u201cDigital platforms in particular have become vehicles for hate amplification,\u201d he said, \u201cAlgorithms reward sensationalism, targeting people on the basis of identity and background. This is further worsened by politicized media, where truth is often sacrificed for influence.\u201d
\nThe Pakistani envoy called for the full implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech. \u201cAddressing hate in all its forms and manifestations\u2014religious, racial, gender-based, or national\u2014is key to global harmony,\u201d he added.
\nOn his part, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations and UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Miguel Angel Moratinos,said hate speech drives wedges between communities, sparks fear and anger and may often lead to violence which threatens peace and stability in societies.
\nAbout his appointment as UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, he said it reflects \u201ca growing awareness of the bigotry and dehumanizing rhetoric that Muslims have to quite often face in many parts of the world for no other reason than their faith.\u201d
\n\u201cMuslims are challenged with Institutional discrimination and socio-economic restrictions in several non-Muslim majority countries, \u201c Moratinos said, while stressing the need to address this trend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS Pakistan has called for \u201curgent and collective response\u201d to the rise in hate speech, disinformation and violent extremism, saying such narratives fracture societies and endanger peace and stability. \u201cAll of this is targeting people of different faiths, including Muslims, and also individuals based on race, gender, and nationality,\u201d Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":484944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-484932","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n