Director of Communications Fahrettin Altun signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on behalf of Turkey during a ceremony under the supervision of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister of Malaysia Mahathir Mohamad.
The “Communication Project on the Fight against Islamophobia” for which an MOU has been signed between Turkey and Malaysia, aims to form a structure to fight against anti-Islamic sentiments.
With an operational centre decided to be based in Istanbul, the Communication Project aims to fight against institutional, structural and discursive forms of prejudice and bigotry against Islam and Muslims.
Among the objectives of the project is dispelling the negative perception against Islam; enhancing global awareness about true Islamic values across the globe; providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge to support Muslims against anti-Islam sentiments; improving relations between the Islamic world and the Western world to reduce misconceptions and stereotypes; raising awareness on tolerance, living together and intercultural relations; and gradually becoming the brand name of the fight against anti-Islam sentiments in the world.
It is planned that the Communication Centre in Istanbul, which will serve as the command centre of the whole project, will later host a television channel in English language focusing on the scope of countering anti-Islam sentiments. The Centre will run a digital platform where mainly news, documentaries, informative videos and other similar content will be shared.
The Communication Centre, which will develop global contents, will also include a call centre to collect data on global events linked with anti-Islam sentiments for purposes of raising global awareness.
Research studies will be conducted and periodical publications will be made within the scope of the Project, and conferences and events will be held to further the objectives of the Project.
With the establishment of the Communication Centre in Istanbul, sub-chapters will be established in other participating countries.
In his statement regarding the project, Director of Communications Prof. Fahrettin Altun said that a strong media and communication centre would be established to fight against Islamophobia and that he believed an international brand would emerge from here.
Prof Altun noted that Turkey’s current level of experience and capacity would provide an important opportunity for this project.
Altun pointed out that there was a need for an international and multi-dimensional struggle against Islamophobia and anti-Islamism, and stated that because of the sensitivity and importance of the issue, it was thought that an independent initiative focused on this fight was needed.