Religion has nothing to do with terrorism, says PM Imran Khan

NEW YORK: Pakistan and Turkey jointly organized a High-level Roundtable discussion on “Countering Hate Speech” at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday.

While speaking at the discussion, Prime Minister Imran Khan called for effective measures to counter hate speech and Islamophobia. He said that Islamophobia presents a grave threat to international peace and security.

Noting the growing incidence of discrimination and violence based on religion and belief, the prime minister underscored the importance of addressing both the drivers and consequences of these phenomena.

Imran Khan said that marginalization of any community leads to radicalization. He said that religion has nothing to do with terrorism.

The prime minister cautioned against attempts to denigrate revered personalities and scriptures cloaked in the right to freedom of expression and opinion.

In his remarks, the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that hate speech has emerged as the worst crimes against humanity. He said that Muslims are the most vulnerable community to hate speech across the world. He said that Muslims are being lynched for eating beef in India.

Commenting on worst human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, the Turkish president said that Kashmir has been turned into an open prison and we fear blood shed there.

Tayyip Erdogan also expressed condolence over the tragic loss of life in earthquake in Mirpur and other parts of Pakistan.