OIC Blames Free Speech for "Islamophobia" in West

by Soeren Kern
December 11, 2013 at 5:00 am

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4088/islamophobia-oic-free-speech

The common thread that binds the entire document together is the OIC's repeated insistence that the main culprit responsible for "the institutionalization of Islamophobia" in Western countries is freedom of speech.
"The Istanbul Process started with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton.... We need to build on it." — OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Isanoglu

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation, an influential bloc of 57 Muslim countries, has released the latest edition of its annual "Islamophobia" report.

The "Sixth OIC Observatory Report on Islamophobia: October 2012-September 2013" is a 94-page document purporting to "offer a comprehensive picture of Islamophobia, as it exists mainly in contemporary Western societies."

But the primary objective of the OIC—headquartered in Saudi Arabia and funded by dozens of Muslim countries that systematically persecute Christians and Jews—has long been to pressure Western countries into passing laws that would ban "negative stereotyping of Islam."

In this context, the OIC's annual Islamophobia report—an integral part of a sustained effort to prove the existence of a "culture of intolerance of Islam and Muslims" in the West—is in essence a lobbying tool to pressure Western governments to outlaw all forms of "Islamophobia," a nebulous concept invented by the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1990s.

Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (L), Secretary-General of the OIC Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu (2nd L), Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (3rd L) and EU High Representative Catherine Ashton (4th L) participate in the OIC conference on "Building on the Consensus" in Istanbul, Turkey, on July 15, 2011. (State Department photo)

The OIC report comprises five main chapters and several annexes aimed at documenting "incidents of slandering and demeaning Muslims and their sacred symbols including attacks on mosques, verbal abuses and physical attacks against adherents of Islam, mainly due to their cultural traits."

But the common thread that binds the entire document together is the OIC's repeated insistence that the main culprit responsible for "the institutionalization of Islamophobia" in Western countries is freedom of speech, which the OIC claims has "contributed enormously to snowball Islamophobia and manipulate the mindset of ordinary Western people to develop a 'phobia' of Islam and Muslims."

According to the OIC, freedom of expression is shielding "the perpetrators of Islamophobia, who seek to propagate irrational fear and intolerance of Islam, [who] have time and again aroused unwarranted tension, suspicion and unrest in societies by slandering the Islamic faith through gross distortions and misrepresentations and by encroaching on and denigrating the religious sentiments of Muslims."

Chapter 1 of the report deals with "Islamophobia, Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims," and purports to reveal the "unabated rise of Islamophobia in Western countries, thereby exacerbating tensions at all levels and constituting additional obstacles to the diversity and multicultural fabrics of the societies."

According to the OIC, freedom of speech is to blame for the "perpetuation of Islamophobia," which:

"…has become increasingly widespread, which, in turn, has caused an increase in the actual number of hate crimes committed against Muslims. These crimes range from the usual verbal abuse and discrimination, particularly in the fields of education and employment, to other acts of violence and vandalism, including physical assaults, attacks on Islamic centers and the desecration of mosques and cemeteries."

"In this context, acceptance of various forms of intolerance, including hate speech and the propagation of negative stereotypes against Islam and Muslims in some western countries contribute towards proliferation of intolerant societies. This process is further supported by… the exploitation of freedom of expression and perpetuation of an ideological context advocating an inescapable conflict of civilizations."

Another factor favoring "the climate of intolerance" is:

"…the negative role played by major media outlets who not only propagate stereotypes and misperceptions about Islam, but also undermine and usually keep shadowed any meaningful instance of individuals or groups speaking out against intolerance, including advocacy of religious hatred and violence. This biased approach of the media has helped drawing an emphatically demonized, sometimes dehumanized, image of Muslims in the minds of a certain class of people which is predisposed to xenophobic feelings due to the increasingly dire economic situation, or the simply to the irrational fear of the other."

Chapter 2 of the report deals with "Manifestations of Islamophobia in the West." According to the OIC:

"The number of Islamophobic incidents continues to rise in the US, as a result of anti-Muslim propaganda. It is particularly alarming that anti-Muslim sentiments are taking deeper roots infiltrating further in the educational system. Notable among several other worrying trends/cases are: the initiatives taken by a leading and powerful US legislator [US Representative Peter King] to convene special Congressional Hearings on Radicalization of Islam in the US... In the same vein, the Republican Party in the recent 2013 [sic] US Presidential elections also used the anti-Islam card as a strategy."

"With regard to Islamophobic trends in Europe, various reports and polls have revealed growing misperception vis-à-vis Islam and Muslims. Among the most common and recurring… are the ideas that Muslims are inclined to violence including revenge and retaliation; that Islam is an inherently expansionist religion, which strives for political influence, and whose followers are obsessed with proselytizing others, and more generally that Islam deprives women of their rights and encourages religious fanaticism and radicalism. According to the same polls, only a minor portion of the public tends to see Islam in a more positive light, as being a religion of peace that preaches love for neighbors, charity, openness and tolerance… Muslims who live in xenophobic environments are more exposed to daily stress and other forms of moral prejudice."

The OIC concludes that "journalists and media organizations have a responsibility to avoid promoting rhetoric of hate by acting as a platform for its widespread dissemination."

Chapter 3 of the OIC report highlights "Some Positive Developments" in terms of initiatives and other steps and positions taken to combat Islamophobia, including:

"…the condemnation of anti-Muslim hate speech by various quarters, including non-Muslim religious leaders; the barring from entry of certain Islamophobes to a number of countries where they intended to take part in anti-Muslim rallies or deliver inflammatory lectures; the recognition of Muslim holidays and other strict sanctions taken against acts of manifest religious intolerance. It was noted with satisfaction that a number of international organizations, including UNSECO, the OSCE and the Council of Europe, have recognized the danger posed by Islamophobia and have taken concrete steps to combat it, notably by laying down Guidelines for Educators on Countering Intolerance and Discrimination against Muslims."

Chapter 4 of the report, "OIC Initiatives and Activities to Counter Islamophobia," focused on the OIC's ongoing efforts to promote the so-called Istanbul Process, an aggressive effort by Muslim countries to make it an international crime to criticize Islam. The explicit aim of the Istanbul Process is to enshrine in international law a global ban on all critical scrutiny of Islam and Islamic Sharia law.

In recent years, the OIC has been engaged in a determined diplomatic offensive to persuade Western democracies to implement United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 16/18, which calls on all countries to combat "intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of… religion and belief." (Analysis of the OIC's war on free speech can be found here and here.)

Resolution 16/18, which was adopted at HRC headquarters in Geneva in March 2011 (with the support of the Obama Administration)—together with the OIC-sponsored Resolution 66/167, which was quietly approved by the 193-member UN General Assembly on December 19, 2011—is widely viewed as marking a significant step forward in OIC efforts to advance the international legal concept of defaming Islam.

According to the OIC report:

"In November 2012, a special ministerial barnstorming session was convened on the sidelines of the 39^th session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which aimed at devising an OIC Approach for Combating Discrimination and Intolerance against Muslims…The session… called for constituting a panel of eminent persons including renowned legal experts and human rights practitioners to offer its expert view on the issue of religious intolerance and incitement to hatred to the 12^th Islamic Summit. The panel, which was held in Istanbul, in January 2013, expressed support for the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) Resolution 16/18, on combating intolerance, discrimination, incitement to violence and violence on the basis of religion or belief."

"The OIC also hosted the 3^rd Meeting of International Experts on the Implementation of UNHRC Resolution 16/18, under the framework of the Istanbul Process… The meeting… attended by delegations from over sixty countries… reaffirmed the international community's commitment to Resolution 16/18 and the need to focus on its implementation."

Chapter 5 of the OIC report provides a set of conclusions and recommendations, which call on Western governments, international organizations and non-state actors to:

"Take all necessary measures within their power and legal/jurisdictional systems to ensure a safe environment free from Islamophobic harassment… by strictly enforcing applicable hate crime and discrimination laws;

"Create, whenever necessary, specialized bodies and initiatives in order to combat Islamophobia… based on internationally recognized human rights principles and standards;

"Combat Islamophobic hate crimes, which can be fuelled by Islamophobic hate speech in the media and on the Internet;

"Take all necessary measures to ensure that the media refrains from serving as a platform for the dissemination of hate speech… by associating extremism and terrorism to Islam and Muslims… and presents the true positive nature of Islam.

"Implement provisions of UNHRC Resolution 16/18 through the Istanbul Process mechanism as it offers a positive platform for debate, exchange of best practices and maintaining of a common and unified stance."

The report states that "the OIC and the Member States should not be complacent in underscoring the fact that our present day world is gradually being driven towards the dangerous precipices of growing intolerance of religious and cultural diversity. This is the clear and present danger that the OIC has been consistent in warning the international community against. The sooner the phenomenon of Islamophobia is addressed, the better it is for ensuring peaceful coexistence of the present as well for the future generations to come."

The report concludes with the transcript of a speech by OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, in which he thanks American and European political leaders for their help (here and here) in advancing his efforts to restrict free speech in the West.

"The Istanbul Process initiated with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton to build further on the consensus building that went into Resolution 16/18 must be carried forward. While the resolution forms a triumph of multilateralism, Istanbul Process must also be seen as a poster child of OIC-US-EU cooperation… I appreciate that this Process has come to be recognized as the way forward by all stakeholders… We need to build on it," Ihsanoglu said.

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook. Follow him on Twitter.

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Comment on this item

21 Reader Comments

Milad • Jul 27, 2018 at 11:05

I find it strange that the west allows itself to be duped by the people calling any criticism of islam islamphobia. Muslims are the most racist and bigoted people. Which non-muslim has not suffered murder, rape, stealing of land, theft, bashing, being burnt by gangs of muslims, there religious temples, churches, shrines not destroyed by muslims whether it is in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, middle east, north africa, africa, balkans, cacausus, malaysia and indonesia? I think the correct response to muslims is that they have infidel or non-muslimphobia

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Kwame Owusu • Apr 10, 2014 at 22:41

Islamophobia is a major challenge to global peace and multi religiosity and multi culturalism. Hate preachers are milestones around the neck of human rights activists.

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Spikess • Mar 10, 2014 at 20:08

Just reporting the horrific acts committed by Muslims every day throughout the world is not a phobia. It's reality!

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Michael Copeland • Dec 16, 2013 at 09:18

Islam defames itself.

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Petra • Dec 14, 2013 at 16:56

It seems to me that the OIC is seeking an international form of the blasphemy laws which exist in many Islamic countries. It is apparently not enough that citizens in Islam dominated countries cannot convert to other religions, or say anything even mildly critical of Islam. They now want to shut down all criticism on an international level too. The long list of "hate crimes" in their 94 page document looks rather feeble compared to the institutionalized persecution of religious minorities in many Islamic countries. How can they possibly think that an envelope of pig meat sent to a mosque (unpleasant gesture though it is) is such a terrible crime when Christian families are with horrifying regularity driven from their homes, girls and women raped, and men imprisoned in Islamic countries?

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Fatima • Dec 14, 2013 at 09:37

It is interesting to see OIC being concern with discrimination against Westerner's Muslims. Why do not they let us, Muslims in the West, deal with this discrimination. More interesting is members of this institution have countries, which have institutionalized discrimination against non-Muslim and some Muslims they do not regard as such. If OIC's concern is really the Muslims and the distortions of Islam, it should be using its freedom of speech to tackle the real enemy of Islam who are among the Muslims themselves. It is clear that we, Westerner's Muslims, do not use our freedom of speech to speak out against the atrocities carried out in the name of Islam in majority Muslim countries. We are the only ones to blame. We are the only ones responsible for the negative image people might have of Islam and it seems that organization such as OIC won't do anything for this perception to change.

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Mr Reality. • Dec 13, 2013 at 09:15

The only way to solve this dilemma is to instigate laws that will prosecute all those that are not Muslims. Easy.

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St. Ferdinand III • Dec 12, 2013 at 07:47

Fascist Islam. Blame the 'other'. No free speech. There are 1589 verses of hate speech in Mein Koran. The cult is called Submission for a reason [submit to Muhammad]. There is no free will, only the Allah thing or moon idol has will.

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Terence Curry • Dec 12, 2013 at 05:57

The OIC is calling for Western Governments to curb Islamophobia, and as an isolated statement one can only agree. There is, however, one large caveat.

What is the OIC doing about the ever multiplying number of Islamic terrorist groups? Groups which are incessantly plotting to harm us, and the extraordinary amounts of time and money spent on security services by those same Western governments knowing that any lapse in vigilance could mean the death of innocent men women and children.

There is no end to the trouble spots around the world in which Christians are being persecuted, beaten and killed by Muslim mobs. What is the OIC doing about that?

How about the trouble in Spain where Islamic extremists are claiming that land once Muslim remains Muslim for eternity anf they want "their" land back?

What happened to the Arab Spring? And how many have died for it? There is no need to demonise Islam. The Islamists themselves are doing a cracking job of that. Now in Britain we have to segregate the sexes at University. There is no end to it, but the OIC sees only Islamophobia. Nothing else matters.

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Lutz Barz • Dec 12, 2013 at 03:17

This is getting worse by having alien anti-western, anti-enlightenment, mysogenic, homophobic Islamists tell other cultures how they should be viewed. Nazi Germany had laws similar in self reference. No jokes about Hitler or otherwise it was off to the concentration camp. The EU should take note and resist the ingress of alien suppressive directives undermining the principles of democracy.

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Brian • Dec 12, 2013 at 01:46

Taqiyya. This entire page is an exercise in Taqiyya. Islam is the only religion/political movement / cult that has actually invented a word to define lying in support of a religion. Therefore nothing said in support of Islam can be considered trustworthy, and anything negative about Islam is more honest, especially if based on news sources and personal observation. In reality Islam's prayers should include: " Down with Freedom ! Free Speech Go to Hell !" After all, they shout it so many times in public.

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Christian Citizen • Dec 11, 2013 at 21:35

Then they can stay out of our Republic of America if they don't like our free speech. Nobody wants them around with their savage Sharia cult practices. No one needs to be forced into their way of living. Americans live as Americans and we never force anyone to stay here who doesn't want to be here.

Islamaphobia and free speech is our business in America. Go away and mind your own business you awful killers of Christians and those who live only to savagely murder the Infidels. Those who think abuse of children is normal. Stay out of America.

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Terence Curry

Christian Citizen • Dec 15, 2013 at 15:13

As soon as Muslims settle in Western Lands, in any appreciable numbers, the criticisms start. These include that our cultures are decadent and that our leaders don't understand them. Sharia is the way (quite literally). Every possible advantage is taken of what the country has to offer, while nothing is given in return. Illegal Sharia courts spring up in defiance of the countries' laws. The claim is that it's only to deal with domestic matters. So they gain semi legal status, and immediately widen their activities.

The one thing I have never heard them complain about in Britain is the benefits system. That they love, but the rest they hate. It's similar in the USA, of course, and in France they openly defy the ban on the Burka. in Spain they are demanding land back as theirs, and in the Philippines, they are also laying claim to land. Everywhere else Christians are beaten and killed by the followers of this peaceful and merciful religion.

It is often pointed out that in a free society they are just that, free to leave, and go somewhere more in keeping with their beliefs. Most of us would do just that. If we disliked our home country or our host country to such an extent that is exactly what we would do. Muslims will not. It is no part of their overall strategy.

Islamification of the host country is the aim, initially by stealth, and seemingly unimportant things by themselves. This quickly escalate as they become more able to impress their will. A Global Caliphate is the ultimate aim and they don't even bother to deny that any more (they used to). To leave because they don't like it is not an option. It would be a retrograde step on their road to the eventual Caliphate of the world.

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Michael Copeland

Christian Citizen • Dec 21, 2013 at 15:58

"Does Islam or does it not force people by the power of the sword to submit? Yes." Osama bin Laden. The agenda of Islam in USA is to force all Americans to submit to Sharia, "using deception to mask intended goals" (Muslim Brotherhood secret internal memorandum, "The Project"). First comes the "invitation", next the killing. The signs put up in London stated "SHARIA RULES ENFORCED".

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Objective Observer • Dec 11, 2013 at 18:55

In light of the manifold ways that the OIC's member states persecute Christians and gays, are mysogynistic to the extreme, issue fatwas glorifying honors killings, and otherwise engage in the most barbaric crimes against humanity, all in the name of this triumphalist Religion of Peace, there can be no mistaking their perverted agenda. And, despite all of the flowery phrases, there can be no acceptance of a single iota of it.

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Gleaner1 • Dec 11, 2013 at 12:49

Today, in this year of our Lord 2013, the eyes of the Western world are turning to the world of Islam, and holding it in a cool and skeptical gaze. For the first time in 23 years, the blinkers have slipped. What can these "Yesterday" people possibly say or do now to erase the stains of blood and tears from Islam's record? What colorful and scented nose gay exists to counter the stench from this corpse, rotting, yet still feeding upon it's own misery and inadequacy?

If there is a reward for mortal souls in this world, it surely must adorn the brows of those who fight to shine the lights of decency, enlightenment and compassionate progress upon the lives of those forced to live under this vilest of black clouds, hiding the bright, clear rays of truth as it does while ruining hope in the lives of millions.

What stain on the record of the human species compares with the stain placed on God's good earth by the trampling feet of the followers of the slayer of innocents ?

Let us be quite clear. No parade of flags in a procession, no conference table groaning under a weight of flowers, no speech, no suit with his carefully knotted tie, no living apologist can obscure the vision and drown out the wailing of the widows and orphans of this prophet of eternal misery. His record is clear, his disguise is transparent, the "Fruits" of his "Great Culture" reek in the nostrils of all free people, as does the vilest smoke vomited from the very bowels of hell itself

No, a page has turned, and with it, the tide in the affairs of all men. The hour of liberation is near.

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Jen Schiller • Dec 11, 2013 at 11:24

I absolutely agree that free speech and "Islamophobia" are related, but not for the reasons Muslims have stated. Free speech is what has allowed reporters and citizens to report on atrocities committed by Muslims against other Muslims, by Muslims against Christians, and by Muslims against innocent civilians when committing terrorist acts of bombing, etc. That is what has caused so-called "Islamophobia" in the West! It is not "Islamophobia" against the Muslim religion per se, but against the atrocities perpetrated in the name of this religion by fanatics who have no respect for human life, nor respect or tolerance of any religion but their own. That is why Westerners have "Islamophobia"! It is caused by Muslims themselves!

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John • Dec 11, 2013 at 10:08

Islamophobia is something that Islam is bringing on its own head. Free speech is not the problem, but the behavior of Islamists, which the OIC ignores, is the issue and is making the rest of Islam look radical. Islam tries to bury its behavior instead of doing something about it. Islam expects the world to roll over and play dead and kowtow to it; and when it does not, Islam screams bloody murder and says it is Islamophobia when they are doing it to themselves.

Only in Islam dominated countries are Christians slaughtered or discriminated against. Islam is no longer only a religion, but a front for something more sinister.

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Docky Wocky • Dec 11, 2013 at 08:55

You bet your bippy that freedom of speech is an anathema in the Islamic world and the actions of an entire culture lacking that societal virtue is responsible for Western Islamophobia. Never has a culture deserved what it gets and is incapable of seeing the problems, because 1,400 years of mind control really works.

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david geffen • Dec 11, 2013 at 07:48

This is the way Islamic people a) treat the people in their Islamic countries; b) treat their women; c) treat their hosts in the countries where they have sought refuge; d) treat others with callousness, savagery and arrogance in the extreme; e) plan to run the world against the wishes of anyone else; and f) lie, tell falsehoods, and abuse all non-muslims both openly and in hidden ways.

Basically, there is no phobia, but the standards of decency and civility sought by the nations protect the cunning islamic rebels from prosecution and from getting what they deserve from the locals!

How cool is that?

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Edward Cline • Dec 11, 2013 at 07:25

Islam wouldn't get so much "negative stereotyping" if it weren't so "negative" in theory, in substance, and in practice. It is a totalitarian ideology and the actions the OIC proposes be taken prove that it is basically political and not religious. And I had to laugh when it claimed that the Western news media was helping to project that "negative stereotyping." Where? Which news media is guilty of that heinous thought crime? They all seem to go out of their way to not "stereotype" Islam or Muslims. British newspapers refer to Muslims as "Asians," Scandinavian countries try to suppress the incidence of rapes committed by Muslims, no one criticizes Saudi Arabia for beheading apostates, no one upbraids Iran for hanging homosexuals, and I've yet to hear a PBS or mainstream media talking head take Turkey to task for trying to "re-Islamiize" that country. So, who is the OIC fooling, except anyone who treats Islam as though it were a sacrosanct religion that means no harm to anyone?

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