Iran’s UN Envoy Warns of Rising Islamophobia

Tehran - Iran’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Majid Takht-Ravanchi has expressed alarm about the growing trend of Islamophobia across the world.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly meeting on the occasion of International Day for Countering Hate Speech, he said the spread of hatred, discrimination and violence has caused great suffering to Muslim communities in various countries.
“The growing trend of Islamophobia has been fueled by the lack of resolve on the part of certain governments to confront hate speech and acts of hate against Muslims, anti-Muslim media outlets, as well as civic groups promoting a hostile and abusive environment against Muslims in the West,” the envoy said.
“It is unfortunate to witness that the politicization and restriction of the Hijab, the burning of the Holy Qur’an, and the desecration of Islamic symbols and holy sites are being pursued in certain countries,” he added.
Takht-Ravanchi stressed that such Islamophobic tendencies have created an environment conducive to violence and violent extremism which poses serious threats to the social cohesion as well as security and well-being of all societies.
Anti-Muslim sentiments have been on the rise across Europe in recent years in the wake of terrorist attacks in the continent. The attacks were carried out by the terrorist group of Daesh sympathizers or the terror group’s members who had returned home following their defeat in Iraq and Syria.
Muslim leaders in Europe and around the world have condemned the terrorist attacks.
Moreover, the rise of far-right ideology and the propagation of anti-immigration policies have exacerbated the status of religious minorities in Europe.
Takht-Ravanchi also said the Zionists are a symbol of racism and hate mongering, stressing that the illegal entity’s efforts to conceal such hostile policies will be to no avail.
“The Zionist regime is well known for its racist policies and spread of hate speech and its propaganda cannot hide this very fact,” he said.
Israel has destroyed more than 1,200 Palestinian-owned structures in the occupied West Bank and left more than 1,600 Palestinians homeless over the past two years, according to UN data.
The Tel Aviv regime has also continued its acts of violence against Palestinians across the occupied territories, including a wave of incursions, arrests, and arbitrary killings.

He said, Islamic Republic of Iran “strongly condemns Israel’s prolonged occupation of Syrian Golan, as well as its numerous breaches of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, including the most recent attacks that targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure, in particular terrorist attacks against Damascus International Airport.”

“These Zionist malign and terrorist acts violate international law, international humanitarian law, Syria’s sovereignty, and jeopardize regional stability and security,” he said.

The senior Iranian diplomat stressed that Tehran recognizes Syria’s legitimate right to defend itself in accordance with the international law and UN Charter.

“We call on the Security Council to abandon its double standard and condemn the repeated Israeli acts of aggression unequivocally, holding this lawless regime accountable for its aggressions and malicious activities,” Takht-Ravanchi said.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN went on to say that more than eleven years of conflict, aggression, occupation, and terrorism have created numerous problems for the Syrian nation.

“The situation has been aggravated by the unilateral sanctions which have stymied the implementation of Resolution 2585, which calls for the provision of basic services and implementation of early recovery and reconstruction projects, thus impeding Syria’s reconstruction efforts and hampering humanitarian aid delivery in a variety of ways, even delaying the return of refugees and displaced persons,” he remarked.

According to Takht-Ravanchi, the Syrian government’s ability to achieve economic and social stability and improve the living conditions of Syrians has been undermined by those illegal measures.

The Iranian ambassador to the UN also pointed to the world body’s reports on Syria, noting that 14.6 million Syrians would require humanitarian aid in 2022, up 1.2 million from 2021.

He said the provision of basic services such as water, electricity, and healthcare is increasingly declining in the war-ravaged country.

He underlined the need to provide humanitarian aid to Syria amid the dire situation there, stating that political conditions should not be allowed to prevent humanitarian supplies from reaching needy people.

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Iran’s UN Envoy Warns of Rising Islamophobia