KARACHI, Jan 10: The Director of the Luxembourg Institute for European and International Studies, Dr Armand Clesse, has said hostility to and suspicion of Muslims in Europe have increased in the aftermath of 9/11.

He was delivering a lecture at the department of international relations, University of Karachi, on Friday.

The topic of his talk was: “The World after September 11: A European Perspective.”

Dr Clesse said there had been many instances of acts of animosity towards Muslims and xenophobia had also been on the rise in Europe after 9/11.

He was of the view that the situation in France was tense, and said in Spain terrible incidents had taken place. Many of the refugees from Muslim countries, especially those from Bosnia, also faced a hostile situation.

He pointed out that there had been an increase in suspicion of Muslims, particularly Arabs.

He maintained that Muslims faced worse hostility in the United States than in Europe.

“It appears as if we still live in a colonial world.”

He criticized the United States for its clampdown on civil liberties and accused it of “total neglect of international laws and norms.”

He was of the view that the United States wanted to make itself invulnerable and the rest of the world vulnerable. It was because of this that it was pursuing the missile defence and Star Wars programmes, he said.

Dr Clesse maintained that 9/11 had heightened the predicament of Europe and that there was ambiguity in the policies of many of the European countries, such as France and Germany.

He was of the view that the United States wanted to see a weak Europe.

He said after 9/11 there was a wave of solidarity in Europe towards the United States.

He said it was a strange logic on the part of Nato that attack on one state would be considered attack on all the member states.

“Europeans have invited reprisals by some organized terrorist network upon themselves. Above all, Britain wants this.”

He criticized the United States for its treatment of the prisoners in Guantanamobay, and the Russian treatment of prisoners for dealing with the situation in Chechnya. He condemned Israel for the treatment meted out to the Palestinians.

Dr Clesse also criticized the United States, President Bush as well as American policies which, he believed, were aimed at attaining unprecedented domination over the rest of the world as the sole superpower after the dismemberment of the USSR and weakening of Russia.

Prof Moonis Ahmar welcomed Dr Clesse. Tayyaba Tanveer, a faculty member, presented the vote of thanks.

The talk was followed by a question-answer session.—APP