Source: UN News: Thursday, March 19, 2026 00:01 AM
On the subject of the fight against anti-Muslim bigotry and hatred (Islamophobia), the United Nations Special Envoy Miguel Angel Moratinos has warned that religion has become a tool in the hands of some political parties and movements, which is being used to increase polarization among the people. He warned of the increasing cases of ‘Islamophobia’ around the world and stressed the need to invest resources in education and awareness efforts to eradicate this trend. UN Special Envoy on Sunday March 15 is ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia’ Just before, during a conversation with UN News, he drew attention to the rising cases of anti-Muslim bigotry and hatred in different parts of the world. Miguel Ángel Moratinos expressed concern that the increase in anti-Muslim incidents in Europe is “very serious”. Western countries, Asia, Africa and the Sahel region are seeing a significant increase in such cases, and so the rest of the world should also be alert to this trend. He noted that the good thing is that the United Nations had unanimously passed a resolution on an International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The United Nations had established the International Day to Combat Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the year 2022, for which a resolution was unanimously passed in the UN General Assembly. The resolution, on the basis of respect for human rights and the diversity of religions and beliefs, at all levels. Strong international efforts were called for to promote a culture of tolerance and peace.UN Secretary General António Guterres appointed Miguel Ángel Moratinos as Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia in May 2025. He also currently serves as the High Representative of the Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Mutual respect is essential UN News Special Representative Miguel Ángel Moratinos speaks exclusively to UN News. The Special Envoy stressed the need to build peaceful and inclusive societies where mutual respect is paramount and the rights of all citizens, regardless of religion or belief, are ensured. “If we do not use our capacities to establish social integration between individuals and co-existing communities, we will fail,” Moratinos said. He warned that beliefs and religious differences were being used as “weapons against each other.” While hate speech is having a devastating impact on today’s societies. “We have a collective responsibility to build peaceful, democratic societies. In this context, the Special Envoy referred to Articles 18 and 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which relate to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and freedom of expression and opinion. Miguel Ángel Moratinos also stressed the need to positively integrate the implementation of these two articles. The era of dual challenges The Special Envoy pointed out that in many regions of the world There is a rise in polarization, which is being used by some political parties and groups for their own interests. That is why it is important to strike a balance between freedom of belief and freedom of expression, so that an environment of mutual understanding and mutual respect can be created. Currently, we are facing a “double challenge”, one aspect of which is the rapid increase in the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on these platforms. But the pace of regulation is slow, while priority is being given to economic profits. Moratinos said that the second aspect of this challenge is “the most dangerous”, and that is the political platforms where leaders use social networks to incite their supporters and the public to spread hatred and discrimination. “Nobody is saying to any political party that do not use these platforms, do not be aggressive against Muslim communities… No, he says. That they have freedom of expression.” “And what is freedom of expression? How will its boundaries be determined? The importance of education and awareness Unsplash/Rachid Oucharia A man reading the Quran, Islam’s holy book. The senior UN official stressed the importance of investing in education, co-existence, reconciliation, ways of respecting others, explaining controversial issues in the right context, etc. to develop a true understanding of Islam. Special Envoy Moratinos said that he was worried about Islamophobia. During my time working as Special Envoy to the UN, I have come to understand more clearly how widespread ignorance of Islam is in the Western world. “People do not know what Islam is and they have not read and understand the Quran. Instead, they are influenced by experts who take verses and surahs out of their proper context and use them for the purpose of political polarization. He said, “We need to spread education in schools, we need to educate the media and the general public, because there are a lot of misconceptions and misconceptions about the truth of Islam.” A plan is being prepared at the level, which will be ready this year. This plan will mainly focus on the following points: Understanding what Islamophobia is and on the basis of which criteria an act can be considered Islamophobia. What steps should be taken to spread education and awareness so that Islam can be explained correctly. How should law enforcement agencies and legal measures be prepared on this subject in countries?
Measures to improve monitoring systems. Multidimensional humanity Special Envoy Moratinos said that we live in a very complex and uncertain world, but all human beings and humanity must co-exist. Humanity, according to him, is multidimensional and diverse, and includes different religions, cultures and civilizations, including Islamic civilization. “It cannot be ignored.” “We have to live together and combat any form of discrimination. In this context, any action should not be aimed against Islam or Muslims.”
