Director of Communications Altun: "We are confronted with the paradox of Europe welcoming Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their country as a result of the war while discriminating against Syrian, Afghan or African refugees. Regrettably, we observe that Islamophobia and racism are the primary drivers of this double standard and depravity."
Presidency’s Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun noted the following in his speech at the 2nd International Media and Islamophobia Forum held at ATO Congresium: "Türkiye takes responsibility and plays a leading role in combatting animosity towards Islam on a global scale. Our President leads the fight against animosity towards Islam in the same way that he does in all other global issues.”
At the beginning of his remarks, Director of Communications Altun commemorated with respect and mercy those slain in the terrorist attack on Muslims at a mosque in New Zealand’s Christchurch city three years ago on March 15, 2019.
Noting that they stood and would continue to stand in solidarity with all victims of animosity towards Islam in different parts of the world, Director of Communications Altun said this year’s theme, “New Generation Fight against Animosity towards Islam”, was very relevant.
Stating that animosity towards Islam is global problem that constantly appears in different forms that are replicated systematically, Altun stressed the necessity to find new ways and methods to tackle this multi-dimensional problem.
Director of Communications Altun indicated that Islamophobia can be defined as a modern projection of animosity towards Islam that is fuelled by orientalism, expressing that Islamophobia can be summarized as “anti-Muslim racism”. Director of Communications Altun also continued:
"It is about cultural racism built on so-called cultural differences rather than an emphasis on biological differences. From this point of view, Islamophobia is not a problem exclusive to Western societies. Islamophobia, which began as a form of racism, has now become a global problem. We can even call it the dominant ideology of the 21st century. We witness Islamophobic acts and statements all over the world, from the east to the west, and from the north to the south."
Director of Communication Altun pointed out that Islamophobia had taken on various dimensions throughout history as a result of modernization, and he emphasized the manifestation of Islamophobia even in non-Western Muslim societies. He also noted that this is a severe problem even in Muslim countries, particularly those that have been colonized or have undergone radical modernization.
“Adoption of a strictly secularistic approach in modernization projects within Muslim communities in the non-Western world led to the emergence of an "other" group within the society. In this sense, top-down secularistic modernization policies that sought to eliminate religion from social life resulted in the marginalization of religious symbols and images,” said the Director of Communications Altun.
Director of Communications Altun remarked that Islamophobia remains a global threat that can escalate to genocide, as in the case of Srebrenica, and that endangers human lives in all parts of the world, from Southeast Asia to the United States, and popularizes discrimination. He further stated that when Islamophobia incidents are brought to light, the gravity of the matter becomes more evident.
A significant increase in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim acts
Director of Communications Altun noted that Muslim communities have been subjected to an upsurge in hate speech and Islamophobic attacks, and stated that the 2020 data indicates a significant increase in Islamophobia and anti-Muslim acts. Director of Communications Altun added:
"When we look at countries across Europe, we see that in 2020, France recorded 1142 incidents of hate crimes, 235 of which were directed towards Muslims. In 2020, Austria reported 812 hate crimes against Muslims. In the UK, religiously driven hate crimes surged by a third in 2019 compared to the previous year. In 2020, Lithuania recorded 47 violations of the fundamental values of equality and freedom of belief. In the same year, Poland reported 557 hate crimes.
Given that only 17% of hate crimes against Muslims across Europe are documented, it is evident how dire the situation is in Europe."
Director of Communications Altun said that the Council of Europe's June 2020 report "Combating Illegal Online Hate Speech" indicated that around 10% of hate speech on the Internet in Europe has anti-Islamic components.
Director of Communications underlined that the United Nations Human Rights Council's report emphasised that hate crimes against Muslims have increased significantly, particularly in social media, and said, "According to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights' public survey of June 2020, 22% of European Union citizens stated that they were ‘uncomfortable even being neighbours with Muslims’ and 21% stated that they ‘did not want to hire a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf.’ These are crystal-clear signs of the gravity of the situation."
Stating that Islamophobic acts have become pervasive in social life as well as the online environment, particularly in Western European countries, and that in some countries, women are even denied education if they dress according to their religious beliefs, Director of Communications Altun cited the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe's statement, "Europe is facing a shocking reality: anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and other racist hate crimes are increasing at an alarming rate."
Noting that Islamophobia has become a central component of far-right groups' campaigns in Europe, according to a report released by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in November 2020, Director of Communications Altun added:
"We see that anti-Islamic acts in Europe have led to a process in which Muslim communities feel fearful of even worshipping in mosques, and Muslim women refrain from wearing religious clothing. Therefore, it is a well-known fact that those exposed to Islamophobic attacks experience increased fear and anxiety in daily life, necessitating additional security. We face a threat in which animosity towards Islam and Muslims manifests itself in a variety of forms, from insults to discrimination, from oppression to physical violence and attack. The fact that some European politicians uphold racist and discriminatory rhetoric and practices further add to the threat's magnitude."
"Ambivalent attitude, double standards"
Director of Communications Altun pointed out that this attitude is evident even in the midst of the Russian-Ukrainian war. Director of Communications Altun underlined that they do not tolerate the displacement or suffering of anyone, adding that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan conducted intensive diplomacy traffic to end suffering, holding 14 meetings in the previous five days and making a concerted effort to bring the war to a conclusion.
Referring to the paradox of Europe welcoming Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their country as a result of the war while discriminating against Syrian, Afghan and African refugees, Director of Communications Altun said:
“The comparison made by some politicians in Europe between the Ukrainians and Syrians as ‘those fleeing the war’ and ‘those attempting to enter the country illegally’ will be remembered. The Western media attempts to justify this ambiguous stance by stating that ‘Ukrainians are white, Christian, and European, while Syrians are not.’ It will also not be forgotten. Regrettably, we observe that Islamophobia and racism are the primary drivers of this double standard and depravity.”
“Türkiye plays a leading role in the fight against Islamophobia on a global scale”
Pointing out that such a circumstance necessitates novel approaches to the battle against Islamophobia, Director of Communications Altun continued:
“Türkiye undoubtedly takes responsibility and plays a leading role in combatting animosity towards Islam on a global scale. Our President leads the fight against animosity towards Islam in the same way that he does in all other global issues. He places special emphasis on Islamophobia on all international platforms, most notably the UN General Assembly. He always points out that the rise in racist, xenophobic, discriminatory and anti-Islamic sentiments is one of the biggest threats to global peace and calm. Again, our President proposed declaring March 15, the date of the terrorist attack against Muslims during the Friday prayer in Christchurch, New Zealand, as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.”
Director of Communications Altun noted that the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications had launched a digital platform in French, where Muslim individuals reveal the injustices they experience as part of the fight against Islamophobia.
Stating that they aim to raise awareness about Islamophobia by bringing the victimization of Muslims due to their beliefs to the public attention with the platform called “DisNon”, which means “Say No!” in French, Director of Communications Altun indicated that they believe acknowledging the existence of a problem is the first step to a solution.
Stressing that an equal and free social life can only be achieved through a realistic and courageous confrontation and a constructive and solution-oriented approach, Director of Communications Altun said: “Therefore, as our President has repeatedly underlined, it is essential to acknowledge that Islamophobia is a crime against humanity, just like anti-Semitism. I want to emphasize in particular that we will never allow the legitimization and normalization of anti-Islamism in the guise of ‘freedom of expression’, and we will continue our efforts on all international platforms in this context.”
“An international and multi-dimensional fight is required”
Stating that while combating animosity towards Islam, they will continue to set an example to the world with their culture of co-existence, in which differences are seen as richness, Director of Communications Altun noted that although Türkiye carries out extensive works on this issue, Islamophobia is not a phenomenon that Türkiye alone can eradicate.
Director of Communications Altun said, "An international and multi-dimensional fight is required to combat Islamophobia and anti-Islamism. This fight should undoubtedly begin in Europe, as it is the epicenter of the global threat of Islamophobia, and spread throughout the world. Because animosity towards Islam is becoming institutionalized in Europe, Europe bears a significant amount of responsibility in combating it.
"It is critical to create an atmosphere where Islamophobia is perceived as a form of racism”
Referring to the role of both conventional and social media in the negative perceptions about Muslims around the world, Director of Communications Altun noted the following:
"Despite all the bitter experiences, we continue to encounter anti-Islam manipulations and hateful stereotypes of Muslims on the media. This issue is undoubtedly caused by virtual images fabricated with racist intentions against Islam and Muslims. This approach, which serves only to stir hatred and animosity among the masses, is unfortunately common among Western politicians as well.
Before it is too late, European politicians, who use populism to cover their political deadlock, must be aware of the fire they are fuelling with their anti-Islam acts and statements, both for their societies and for mankind as a whole. To fight this threat, it is critical to create an atmosphere where Islamophobia or animosity towards Islam is perceived as a form of racism by the society, media and politics.
A strategy that condemns Islamophobia or anti-Islamism as a form of racism, calls people to account for it before the law and is convicted by the public conscience will bring along a perceptual improvement and change of attitude in all areas on a global scale."
Director of Communications Altun stressed the importance of active and strong awareness-raising efforts in these fields, as well as confronting the international public with this problem, and added that everyone, from government agencies to academia, and from the media to non-governmental organizations, has important responsibilities in this regard.
Director of Communications Altun expressed his belief that the “International Media and Islamophobia Forum”, which will address all aspects of Islamophobia on a global scale and discuss new generation methods of combating “anti-Islam racism”, would yield highly valuable outputs.
