Open Ended Emergency Meeting of the OIC Executive Committee held at the level of Foreign Ministers Istanbul, Republic of Turkey
Date: 22/03/2019
FINAL COMMUNIQUE
The Executive Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation,
Outraged with the savage terrorist attack which took lives of 51 Muslim worshippers at al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque on 15 March 2019 in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand; and reiterates the OIC’s position that terrorism has no religion, and that any acts of terror are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless their motivation, wherever, whenever, and by whoever committed.
Deeply worried about the resurgence of racist movements and their terrorism in multiple regions of the world, based on concocted history, imagined inter-civilizational conflict and confrontation, and intent on inciting phobia, hatred and hostility against immigrants and individuals from Muslim nations, thereby imperiling future prospects of peace and harmony among the nations and communities of the world;
Proceeding from the principles and objectives enshrined in the Charter of the OIC, to safeguard the rights, dignity and religious and cultural identity of Muslim communities and minorities in non-Member States, as well as the Charter of the United Nations and other international documents, including the Universal Declaration on Human Rights;
Recalling all resolutions and declarations by Summit and CFM, in particular the Final Communique of the 13thIslamic Summit held in Istanbul on 14-15 April 2016, which expressed deep concern over the rise of Islamophobic attacks targeting mosques and other properties belonging to Muslims; Resolution No. 34/46-POL on “Combating Islamophobia and Eliminating Hatred and Prejudice against Islam” adopted by the 46th Council of Foreign Ministers held in Abu Dhabi on 1-2 March 2019;and the Istanbul Declaration on “Islamophobia: A Human Rights Violation and a Contemporary Manifestation of Racism” adopted at the 5thInternational Seminar of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission held in Istanbul on 17-18 October 2018;
Noting with concern that Islamophobia, as a contemporary form of racism and religious discrimination is on the rise in many parts of the world as evidenced by the mounting numbers of recorded incidents of religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, hatred and violence against Muslims;
Welcoming the visit of the Vice-President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, upon the instruction of HE President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Chair of OIC Islamic Summit, to New Zealand to emphasize the common resolve against Islamophobia and xenophobia and to highlight the solidarity with the Muslim community and New Zealand in the face of these heinous terror attacks.
Welcoming also the visit of HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah II, as well as the visit of the Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt to New Zealand and the delegation of the United Arab Emirates headed by HE Ali Rashid Al-Naemi, to extend support and to show solidarity with the Muslim community of New Zealand and to share the grief; and appreciates Iran’s efforts in the wake of this terrorist attack;
Appreciating the stance of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz following the terrorist attack in New Zealand;
Commending the efforts of His Highness Emir of the State of Qatar in the face of this tremendous loss of human life;
Commending the earnest efforts of the State of Kuwait and the Republic of Indonesia, in their capacities as representatives of the Islamic Group in the UN Security Council;
- Condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrendous and despicable Islamophobic terrorist attacks, which targeted innocent worshippers at al-Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque on 15 March 2019 in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand;
- Appreciates the Government of New Zealand for its unequivocal condemnation of the terrorist attacks, in particular the firm and clear stance of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, who embraced the Muslim community and shared their grief and commends also the outpouring of sympathy and solidarity from all segments of the society of New Zealand;
- Supports fully the government of New Zealand in its commitment for a thorough and fully transparent investigation into the terrorist attacks that were committed in a carefully planned and sinister manner, as revealed by the evil manifesto of the terrorists;
- Expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the innocent Muslim victims and the people and Government of New Zealand and strongly hopes that the families will be consoled and satisfied by ensuring full justice and accountability for all the horrendous crimes committed by the terrorists;
- Emphasizes that the heinous terror attacks against the mosques, community centers and the murders of Muslims have demonstrated once again the brutal, inhumane and horrific outcomes of Islamophobia require genuine, comprehensive and systematic measures to address this affliction with the participation of all international stakeholders, at all levels, and in all fields and fora; Urges all countries that have Muslim communities, minorities, and migrants to refrain from all policies, statements, and practices that associate Islam with terror, extremism, and threats to the society;
- Calls upon all States to respect the freedom of religion of all Muslims; not restrict the fundamental human rights and freedoms of Muslims, including in particular not deny them the right to exercise their civil and cultural rights;
- Firmly rejects all presumptions of guilt or attributions of potential crimes, extremism and terrorism to ordinary Muslims, who sincerely adhere to, express and follow the basic requirements of Islamic tenets and teachings;
- Calls upon all Governments to fully implement the existing domestic legal and administrative framework and/or adapt new legislation if needed in consistence with their obligations under international law, norms and standards; to take serious and effective measures to promote tolerance, mutual respect and understanding, particularly through education, media and civil society, to protect all individuals and communities against hate and violence based on religion and faith; and to ensure the protection of places of worship;
- Calls upon the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Council of Europe to establish an observatory to monitor acts of religious hatred, hostility and violence against Muslims and report to the relevant organs;
- Calls on the United Nations and other international and regional organizations to adopt 15 March, the day this horrendous act of terrorism was perpetrated, as the International Day of Solidarity Against Islamophobia;
- Calls on Member States to intensify their efforts to spread the true messages of Islam, disseminate the noble values of Islam, implement the Amman Message and strengthen their coordination to raise the matter effectively in all relevant regional and international fora, inter alia through interfaith dialogue; Commendsthe efforts undertaken by the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID) to ensure the peaceful coexistence and harmony among peoples of different societies, through the promotion of interreligious and intercultural dialogue; and also the initiative of His Majesty King Abdullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on the World Interfaith Harmony Week; Commends the role of Azhar al-Sharif in the dialogue between religions to strengthen peace and harmony amongst the peoples of the world.
- Entrusts the Islamic Summit Chair, Council of Foreign Ministers Chair and Secretary General (Bureau of the Committee) to maintain close contact with the United Nations, Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, European Union, Council of Europe, as well as the governments of countries that have Muslim peoples, minorities and communities as needed to establish a positive and constructive dialogue in order to devise ways and means that contribute to intercultural harmony, to enhance mutual understanding, respect and tolerance;
- Requests the Secretary General to continue his initiatives and engagements with international actors, organizations and institutions to raise global awareness on the affliction of Islamophobia and hatred and intolerance against Muslims and to effectively counter the phenomenon in coordination with national and international organizations; and reaffirms the need to coordinate and cooperate with all international, regional, and sub-regional organizations, as well as with civil societies.
- Requests the Secretary General to reach-out, in cooperation with Member States, to relevant UN mechanisms to broaden the scope of the 1267 sanctions by including in its scope the individuals and entities associated with anti-Muslim racist extremist groups for effectively responding to this evolving threat of terrorism.
- Requests further the Secretary General to engage the managements of social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram in order for them to take institutional and technical measures to filter and ban any content that incites violence and hatred against Muslims.
- Calls upon the UN Secretary General to convene a special session of the UNGA to declare Islamophobia as a form of racism and to assign a special rapporteur for monitoring and combating Islamophobia.
- 17. Requests the OIC Contact Group on Peace and Dialogue to engage, as a matter of priority, to focus its efforts and take action to combat religious discrimination, Islamophobia, intolerance and hatred towards Muslims, and to initiate regular inter civilizational dialogue meetings on the sidelines of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and UN General Assembly and report to OIC CFM and Islamic Summit.
- Calls on Member States and the Secretary General to strengthen the already-existing Islamophobia Observatory in the General Secretariat, by allocating human as well as financial resources necessary for the effective functioning of the observatory, and to facilitate networking with other Islamophobia centers and mechanisms around the world.
- Requests the Secretary General to follow up on the implementation of this Communique, to notify the United Nations and regional organizations and to submit a report thereon to the next Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting;
- Decides to remain seized of the matter and take necessary actions accordingly.
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