Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday welcomed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unequivocal condemnation of Islamophobia, calling for an end to hatred against Muslims.
On his Twitter handle, the prime minister also appreciated Trudeau’s plans to appoint a special representative to cope with this contemporary scourge.
He also stressed upon international efforts and cooperation to end the growing menace of Islamophobia. “I welcome Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s unequivocal condemnation of Islamophobia & his plan to appoint a Special Representative to combat this contemporary scourge. His timely call to action resonates with what I have long argued. Let us join hands to put an end to this menace,” prime minister Khan posted a tweet.
The Canadian premier in a tweet had termed Islamophobia unacceptable. “Full stop. We need to put an end to this hate and make our communities safer for Muslim Canadians. To help with that, we intend to appoint a Special Representative on combating Islamophobia,” he added.
According to a statement of the Government of Canada, as tagged by Prime Minister Trudeau, Islamophobia and hate, in any form, had no place in Canada.
“Today, Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, highlighted the federal government’s intention to appoint a special representative on combating Islamophobia. This appointment will be part of a renewed Government of Canada Anti-Racism Strategy,” it said.
The statement further said last year, the Canadian government announced its intention to make January 29 a National Day of Remembrance of the Quebec City Mosque Attack and Action against Islamophobia.
“This year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror, the Government of Canada stands with and supports Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirms its commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence,” it added.
Prime Minister Khan has been very effectively, consistently and vociferously advocating for the global efforts and cooperation to tackle the issue of Islamophobia, which had resulted in number of unpleasant incidents in the West.
In the recent past, Russian President Vladimir Putin in a televised interaction had also shared similar thoughts about Islamophobia.
In an official statement posted on its website, the Canadian government said that Islamophobia and hate, in any form, had no place in the country.
“Islamophobia is a concrete and daily reality for Muslim communities across Canada and around the world. As we honour the victims, we must remember that we have a responsibility to combat discrimination and continue to build a more inclusive Canada,” the government said.
The Trudeau-led government said a whole-of-government approach to tackling systemic racism with dedicated knowledge and expertise was needed to combat different forms of racism, including Islamophobia, and to advance digital and civic literacy initiatives that address online disinformation and hate speech.
Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi Sunday said the best way to fight Islamophobia was first to recognize it and then lead the world to reject this abhorrent attitude. Responding to a tweet of Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau on social media platform Twitter, he said, “The best way to fight Islamophobia is first to recognize it & then lead citizens of Canada, indeed of the world to reject this abhorrent attitude. Prime Minister Imran Khan has drawn attention of the world & it is nice to see leaders of nations responding pro-actively.”
