By NNN-KUNA
United Nations : Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said that he is “very concerned” over the negative linkage between Muslims and the negative image they are depicted in some Western media.
He said that this “very unfortunate” word of Islamophobia must be cut. “This is something we must really cut. We must try our best to cut the very unfortunate negative linkage between Islamophobia and the Muslim world,” Ban told reporters in answer to a question following the monthly working luncheon with Security Council members Monday.
He said the international community has taken many important initiatives, “and this is one of my serious concerns as secretary-general — how I can contribute, how the United Nations can contribute in cutting this negative linkage between Muslims and that very negative image of them”.
In fact, he said, most of the Muslim people have been victims themselves.
As recently as January this year, he recalled, “we have successfully launched the Alliance of Civilisations. The member states have also taken many initiatives like the Dialogue among Civilisations, and Interfaith Dialogue.
“We must use all these necessary initiatives among the member states so that the international community as a whole can have a better, and more appreciation of the cultures and religions and thinking and traditions of other cultures,” he said.
“This is very important. Unless we address this issue properly, we will be seeing more victims and more unfortunate incidents happening. Therefore I am very much committed to that,” he stressed.
He said the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit meeting discussed this matter among the leaders at length last week in Dakar, Senegal. He expressed hope that their meeting this time has made a “great contribution to that”.
He noted that many Arab and Muslim leaders are very concerned, and they are very much committed to addressing this issue through close dialogue and exchange of cooperation with other world leaders.