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DEFENDERS
50
Au t umn&wi n t e r
2 0 1 4 & 2 0 1 5
29 January 2015
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the
Merciful
Excellency,
I wish to draw your kind attention to the quite
unsettlingandpervasivemanifestationsof Islamophobia,
which have further escalated in the aftermath of the
recent terrorist acts in Paris. The unjustifiable killings
by members of an infamous violent extremist group –
whose raison d’etre and emergence recently as a player
in our region is known to all - have been condemned by
the Muslims across the globe, in clear and unequivocal
terms, including governments, religious institutions and
authorities, civil society and prominent individuals. The
fact that such senseless resorts to violence has no place
in Islam and its exalted teachings, nor acceptable to
Muslims, is not in doubt;notwithstanding the campaign
by the perpetrators promoters of Islamophobia try depict
it otherwise.The issue for us, in the Islamic Republic,
and in the larger Muslim world, is the prevalence of
double-standards when it comes to the question of
the proclaimed defense of the universallyrespected
principle of the ‘freedom of expression’. You might
find this of interest that in 2008, a cartoonist of the
same magazine was instructed by the magazine’s editor
to write a letter apology for what was perceived to be
anti-Semitic; and was summarily fired once he refused.
No such approach and resolve has ever been seen in
the case of frequent frivolous caricatures defaming
Muslim and desecrating Islamic values, which appeared
in that magazine and other similar publications in
Europe; leading to exacerbated tension with the Muslim
community in France and the Islamic world. As we
all have ruefully witnessed in recent times in various
societies in the Western world, whether by political
quarters and personalities, the media, or the virtual
world, open assault on the religious values of Muslims,
be it the person of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), the
Holy Qur’an or the Islamic teachings and values has
regrettably become the order of the day.
This inherently dangerous phenomenon poses serious
threat to international peace and security, and the acutely
needed ambiance of humane, peaceful inter-state and
inter-people relations and the requisite recourse, by
all, to dialogue, understanding and tolerance between
and among the plurality of ethnic, religious and racial
communities in our world today.
Beyondthe immediate and necessaryaction to
denounce and condemnacts of verbal or physical
violence, theWest and Europe in particular now needs to
undertake a sole searching exercise as to the underlying
reasons why quite a sizeable number of individuals and
groups espousing extremist ideologies and engaged in
acts of brutal terror and heinous violence, in Europe and
on a much bigger scale in Iraq and Syria, happen to be
second generation Europeans.
This rather bizarre and seemingly inexplicable
phenomenon cannot be a mere coincidence, nor can it
be easily dismissed or pushed under the rug; it is part
and parcel of the current European political landscape.
It betrays signs of a deeper socio-political malaise in
the societies concerned, and especially in the policies
in place as regards Muslim minorities and their values
and sanctities.
Recent analyses, prompted in large measure by the
high rate of terrorist recruitments in Europe and North
America, point in the direction of systematic failure
of these societies, which has led to marginalization,
alienation and disenfranchisement of these communities
and their members, most notably the second generation,
born, raised and educated in Western societies. It is
bewildering, and equally frightening, that Da’esh
terrorists,beheading innocent civilians and dangling
with self-satisfying depravity the heads of the murdered
hostages just happen to be speaking European languages
withnativeaccent.Pointingfingersofaccusationtowards
others, whether Muslim countries, certain governments
whose policies and politics might be found disagreeable,
or much worse, Islam as a faith, even if politically-
correct domestically and of instantaneous or short-
term benefit, is simply unconvincing, and incapable
of addressing serious problems at the societal,and now
global, levels.
In writing this letter, Mr. Secretary-General, I do
not intend to lament obvious manifestations of double-
standards or find fault with highly-sanctioned policies
by this or that Western government or society. Rather, I
share this concernwith youwith amore serious objective
in mind. Considering the institutional capabilities of the
United Nations, and as a career multilateral diplomat
who still believes in the substantial potentials of the
Organization, I tend to remain hopeful that the UN
and its capacity and mechanisms can be brought to
bear on an issue of immense international impact and
reverberations. Two Iranian proposals, adopted by the
General Assembly of the United Nations on Dialogue
Among Civilizations (A/Res/56/6) and World Against
Violence and Extremism (WAVE) (A/Res/68/127) can
provide appropriate institutional framework for this
endeavor. More recently, in a message that I have the
privilege to enclose, Ayatollah Khamenei has taken the
lead in initiating dialogue with the youth in the West on
this cardinal issue.
I strongly believe we urgently need to draw on our
collective wisdom, at the level of the entire international
community, to explore practical ways and means in
this regard. Looking forward to be advised of your
resolute initiative, and underlining my readiness for
further exchange of views on this topicalissue, allow
me, Mr. Secretary-General, to assure you of my highest
consideration.
Iranian foreign minister Dr. Mohammad Javad Zarif in
a letter to UN Secretar General Ban Ki Moon
Iranian foreign minister
Dr. Mohammad Javad
Zarif in a letter to UN
Secretar General Ban Ki
Moon drew his attention
towards the extensive
facets of Islamophobia,
particularly escalating
following the recent terror
attacks. The letter states:
unjustifable killings by a
violent terror group - the
existence ofwhich and the
reasons for its appearance
in our region as an actor
is clear for all to see - is
clearly condemned by
Muslims around the world,
including governments,
religious leaders, the civil
society and predominant
individuals. the full text of
the letter is as follows:
M.JavadZarif