ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday applauded his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau for condemning “Islamophobia” and expressing his intention to appoint a special representative to deal with anti-Muslim sentiment in his country.
Khan has frequently asked international leaders to crack down on hate speech and anti-Islamic acts within areas of their jurisdiction.
He also wrote a letter to leaders of Muslim-majority countries in October last year, asking them to “act collectively to counter growing Islamophobia” around the world.
“I welcome Prime Minister @JustinTrudeau’s unequivocal condemnation of #Islamophobia & his plan to appoint a Special Representative to combat this contemporary scourge,” he wrote in a Twitter post. “His timely call to action resonates with what I have long argued. Let us join hands to put an end to this menace.”
Khan issued the statement after Trudeau circulated a news release on his social media account regarding his government’s intention to appoint the special representative as part of its anti-racism strategy.
“Islamophobia is a concrete and daily reality for Muslim communities across Canada and around the world,” the document noted, adding it was the government’s “responsibility to combat discrimination and continue to build a more inclusive Canada.”
“Islamophobia is unacceptable. Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer for Muslim Canadians,” Trudeau wrote on Twitter.
Five years ago, Canada witnessed a major attack against its Muslim citizens in which a gunman entered the Quebec Islamic Cultural Center in January 2017 and started shooting worshippers in the prayer hall.
Last year, four members of a Muslim family of Pakistani origin were killed in a premeditated truck attack in the city of London, Ontario, in Canada.
According to the Canadian authorities, “Islamophobia includes racism, stereotypes, prejudice, fear or acts of hostility directed toward individual Muslims or followers of Islam in general. In addition to individual acts of intolerance and racial profiling, Islamophobia can lead to viewing and treating Muslims as a greater security threat on an institutional, systemic and societal level.”
