The phenomenon of Islamophobia is not only a threat to Muslims, but to the entire European community, said EU foreign policy chief Federica Mugherini. Less than two weeks after the New Zealand massacre of mosques, carried out by an atheist racist who hates Islam and Muslims.
"The strength of our societies lies in our diversity, and anyone who goes beyond this diversity is beyond the society as a whole," Mughireni said at a joint news conference with Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad.
According to Mugherini, ensuring that Islamophobia is not a place in the European Union is a priority for the Union and its institutions and for all EU member states.
For his part, the Pakistani foreign minister said that his country is very concerned about the rise of Islamophobia, adding that it should also be of concern to the European Union, considering that the EU countries include a large number of Muslims.
Attacks in Britain
British police said on Friday they had arrested two people suspected of attacks on five mosques in the central city of Birmingham. After the New Zealand massacre, British authorities conducted patrols around the country's mosques.
An opinion poll conducted by Britain's Hope and Not Hate revealed its results last month; about one-third of Britons view Islam as a threat to their way of life.
It is worth mentioning that the Organization of Islamic Cooperation last Friday called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterich to convene a special session of the General Assembly to declare Islamophobia a form of racism.
The invitation came in the final communiqué of the emergency meeting of foreign ministers of the Organization, which was held in Istanbul at the invitation of Turkey to discuss the repercussions of the massacre of the mosques.