October 04, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 21, 1428

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 3: Pakistan on Tuesday urged members of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) to ‘evolve’ a comprehensive strategy to prevent the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia.

“The recent publication of blasphemous caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the Swedish media is the latest episode of this condemnable campaign against Islam and our Holy Prophet,” Pakistan’s foreign secretary Riaz Mohhamed Khan told a meeting of the OIC held here on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

In a demarche to the Swedish prime minister, Islamic countries envoys expressing their shock on the brazen assault on Islam under the guise of freedom of expression pointed out that freedom of speech was not a license to abuse other people or their most cherished values.

Mr Riaz told the OIC meeting: “We will have to engage our western interlocutors to find common ground to reverse this trend. Islamophobia can not be viewed from the narrow perspective of freedom of expression. It poses a much broader challenge and has the potential to disrupt peace within and among states. We must widen the scope of our consultations with other member states at the United Nations and, perhaps in the framework of the alliance of civilisations explore the possibility of evolving an effective international framework to prevent the defamation of religions.”

Speaking about South Asia and the eastern seaboard scenario, Mr Riaz said: “Lasting peace in South Asia can only be achieved by amicably resolving the core issue of Jammu and Kashmir.”