The Ministry of Foreign Affairs organised Monday a policy roundtable entitled "The roundtable on islamophobia: political frameworks for facing challenges," with the participation of more than 30 experts and policy-makers from the GCC states, the US, Europe and Asia.
Hosted by the Policy and Planning Department, the roundtable discussed the public policy challenges related to the phenomenon of Islamophobia and discussed ways to work on framing a new approach for collective co-operation that aims to address the issue, including structural and institutional frameworks, the work to address racist narratives hostile to Islam and Muslims, addressing misleading information in the media, and multifaceted social attitudes hostile to Islam.
The roundtable comes to frame policies to confront the challenges associated with the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia. This event is also part of a broader global initiative aimed at addressing global racism, including hatred against Muslims and Islam.
In her concluding remarks to the roundtable, HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater said that in today's world, the malicious anti-Islam rhetoric had reached dangerous levels, adding that Islam and Muslims are deliberately targeted, while innocent people pay the price through displacement, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
She pointed out that Qatar had clarified its position regarding many of those incidents and policies, reiterating the State's commitment to supporting the initiatives that combat racism, including Islamophobia and hatred against Muslims, to improve the lives of millions around the world. She added that those initiatives include education, dialogue, and policies aimed at building relationships based on mutual understanding and respect.
In his speech during the opening session, the Assistant Secretary for Political Affairs and Negotiations at the General Secretariat of the Co-operation Council Dr Abdulaziz Hamad al-Owaishek, stressing the importance of a collective approach to combating the phenomenon of Islamophobia.
In his opening speech to the roundtable, HE the Director of Policy and Planning Department Dr Khalid bin Fahad al-Khater called for the significance of recognising the magnitude of the issue facing us all and thinking about how to respond.
He added that there is no doubt that the formulation of new policy frameworks would greatly support joint efforts that work to address the effects of this phenomenon of Islamophobia, unite all fronts to counter the spread of misinformation, spread awareness through media, education, and culture, as well as encourage respect for Islamic culture, beliefs, and values.
He pointed out that today Qatar is well-known globally as one of the strongest advocates of anti-racism policies, pointing to its participation in co-operation activities aimed at putting an end to racism.
