THE United Nations recently appointed Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube to be Secretary-General António Guterres’ special envoy to combat Islamophobia. Since 2019, the Spanish diplomat has been the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), reinforcing its role as a bridge-builder and a prominent global platform for dialogue. The appointment has come at a critical moment in global affairs. Across continents, the rise of Islamophobia — a form of bigotry and systemic discrimination against Muslims — is converging with escalating geopolitical crises.

Islamophobia today is not confined to fringe elements or isolated incidents; it is increasingly embedded in political discourse, national policies, and public sentiment. In India, Muslims — constituting the country’s largest religious minority — face growing marginalisation. The rise of Hindu nationalist ideologies has led to communal rhetoric, discriminatory legislation and instances of mob violence. Hate speech is frequently echoed in both mainstream and social media. Media portrayals often reinforce harmful stereotypes, while incidents of lynching and ghettoisation deepen social as well as economic divisions.

Beyond South Asia, the Israeli genocide in Gaza has triggered a wave of rising Islamophobia. In several so-called Western democracies, peaceful protests supporting Palestinian rights have been met with suppression, and Muslim voices advocating for justice are often dismissed or vilified.

Muslim communities in several Western countries face surveillance, immigration restrictions, and violent hate crimes. In recent years, reports of mass internment and forced assimilation of Uyghur Muslims drew widespread condemnation.

In Myanmar, the Rohingya minority community has been subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing. The trend is truly and frighteningly global in its texture.

The former Spanish foreign minister is stepping into a role that demands not only diplomatic skill, but also moral clarity.

By making the fight against Islamo-phobia a central human rights priority, he can work towards the reaffirmation of the world body’s foundational values: peace, dignity and equality. The task is definitely hard, but not quite impossible.

Ahmad Fakir Muhammad
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2025