ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top diplomat at the United Nations on Monday called for a collective international response to rising “Islamophobia,” warning that unchecked hate speech and extremist narratives were fracturing societies and threatening global peace and stability.

Speaking at a high-level event to mark the International Day for Countering Hate, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said growing intolerance, fueled by politicized media and digital platforms, was targeting not only Muslims but also people of various races, genders and nationalities.

The International Day for Countering Hate is observed each year on June 18, following its institutionalization by the UN in 2023 in response to the global rise in hate-driven violence, incitement and disinformation.

Monday’s event at the UN was hosted by Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention.

“The surge in Islamophobia through discriminatory laws, defamation of religious symbols and orchestrated vilification are particularly alarming trends,” Ahmad said. “Media platforms, especially those aligned with dominant political forces, have enabled this hate.”

“Similar tactics now target other marginalized communities,” he continued. “We also observe rising racism and xenophobia fueling division and exclusion. These trends demand urgent collective response.”

Ahmad welcomed the recent appointment of the UN Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, an institutional step initiated through a resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in March last year.

Muslim countries, in recent years, have collectively raised their voice against acts of desecration such as the public burning of the Qur’an in several European countries.

Many of these incidents have coincided with the political rise of far-right parties, which have capitalized on anti-immigrant sentiment and targeted Islam and Muslim communities.

Muslim states have called for an end to such practices and have advocated for legal measures to prevent the desecration of religious symbols, arguing that such acts have no connection to free speech and must be addressed under international frameworks protecting religious and cultural dignity.

The Pakistani envoy said the appointment came at a critical time and urged full implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.

He also condemned digital platforms and algorithmic systems, saying they reward sensationalism and amplify identity-based hate, warning that truth was being sacrificed in politicized media environments.

Ahmad reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to promoting respect, inclusion and peaceful coexistence, saying that diversity must be seen as a collective strength.