Final communiqué adopted at Baku conference on Islamophobia

The two-day international conference “Embracing Diversity: Tackling Islamophobia in 2024” in Baku completed its work, and the participants adopted a joint final communiqué, per Report.

Organised by the Centre for Analysis of International Relations and the Baku International Centre for Multiculturalism in partnership with the G20 Interfaith Dialogue Forum and the Baku Initiative Group, the conference was timed to coincide with March 15, the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

The conference featured an address to participants by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, as well as speeches by Yousef M. Al-Dobeay, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and Professor Cole Durham, President of the G20 Interfaith Dialogue Forum.

"Every day, we see Islam portrayed as a potential source of danger, and we see the spread of suspicion, discrimination and outright hatred against Muslims. And the UN resolution on the Day to Combat Islamophobia notes that the increase in cases of discrimination, intolerance and violence related to religious beliefs is a matter of deep concern," the Azerbaijani President said in his address.

Conference participants discussed issues such as a multi-sectoral approach to combating Islamophobia and coordination of efforts to promote tolerance, peace and respect for human rights and religious diversity, problems arising from the "clash of civilisations" theory, conspiracy narratives, digital Islamophobia and discrimination in higher education, the final document said.

Islamophobia and Orientalism, for all their complexity, are deeply rooted in the history of European colonialism, and discriminatory policies still persist in Western Europe, particularly in France, the communiqué said.

"The panellists condemned the desecration and destruction of Islamic heritage, attacks on cultural and religious monuments, including the statue of the Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan, which was installed in the town of Evian-les-Bains in France and dismantled after an act of vandalism with the inaction of the French authorities.

Participants also highlighted gender issues in the context of Islamophobia, entrenched prejudices against Muslim women, including in higher education institutions, and called for their inclusion in the peace and security agenda, as well as the expansion of women's freedoms and related social programmes.

Participants called for an end to the spread of prejudice and bias against Islam and Muslims through the press and social media, which undermines the foundations of an inclusive society. This phenomenon has become particularly alarming in Europe and North America in the context of geopolitical tensions and conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

The Conference reaffirmed the responsibility of international organisations and national governments to strengthen existing legal instruments and policies that are currently insufficient to combat stereotypes about Islam and Muslims.

The participants agreed to further strengthen cooperation and collaboration in the fight against Islamophobia in two main areas - at the political level and through public advocacy; and at the level of the media and academia by launching programmes and projects to combat discriminatory discourse," the document says.

Tomorrow, the conference participants will visit Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, where they will have first-hand experience of the destruction of cultural and religious monuments during the Armenian occupation.