There have been a number of Islamophobic incidents in recent months in parts of Europe where the Holy Quran and other sanctities of Islam have been desecrated under the pretext of freedom of expression. These incidents have enraged Muslims all over the world, leading to renewed calls for action to stop these hateful acts.
The State of Qatar has strongly condemned these acts and has, along with other Islamic countries, campaigned at all multilateral forums to put an end to these incidents. Speaking at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva this week, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs H E Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater said Qatar considers promotion of human rights, fundamental freedoms and prevention of hate speech and discrimination based on religion a responsibility of states and international institutions concerned with human rights, pointing out that Qatar stresses the importance of UN Human Rights Council taking a clear position to condemn all forms of racism, hate speech against religions and their followers, as well as prevent their recurrence.
Qatar called on the states, where these practices have been committed, to take national measures to counter them, hold their perpetrators accountable and prevent their future recurrence. At the same session, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said international law stipulates that all countries should ban any call for national, racial, or religious hatred.
Over the years, Qatar has worked to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence around the world. Among its many initiatives to promote interfaith harmony is Doha Conference for Interfaith Dialogue, which has been promoting peace, equality, tolerance, moderation, renunciation of violence and respect for human rights since 2003. At the 6th conference in 2008, the dialogue process launched in 2003 was expanded with the establishment of the Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogue, which has become a pioneering institution concerned with interreligious and intercultural dialogue, in addition to capacity-building in the field of dialogue and culture of peace. In 2013, the centre launched the Doha International Award for Interfaith Dialogue, which recognises individuals and institutions for their role in the promotion of interfaith dialogue and peace in multi-religious and multicultural societies.
Qatari society also presents a model of peaceful coexistence of millions of people from diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds. The State of Qatar also put promotion of a culture of peace at the forefront of its efforts during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
