UN Declares March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

Context

The U.N. General Assembly approved a resolution setting March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

What is Islamophobia?

• Islamophobia is a prejudice, aversion, hostility, or hatred towards Muslims and encompasses any distinction, exclusion, restriction, discrimination, or preference against Muslims that has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life.

The resolution

• The resolution asks all countries, U.N. bodies, international and regional organizations, civil society, private sector and faith-based organizations “to organize and support various high-visibility events aimed at effectively increasing awareness of all levels about curbing Islamophobia,” and to observe the new International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

India’s stand

• India called out an OIC-sponsored UN resolution on ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia' and cited that that word ‘pluralism’ finds no mention in the resolution while hoping that the resolution does not divide UN into religious camps.
• It further claimed that non-Abrahamic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism -- are also facing persecution.