Pakistan calls India ‘the world’s biggest Islamophobic state’ at UN

Pakistan on Monday slammed India for failing to condemn rising anti-Muslim hatred and urged New Delhi to punish those involved in “abominable acts” such as the lynching of Muslims and the destruction of mosques.

The remarks came during a high-level event at the United Nations General Assembly commemorating the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

“The fact remains that India has the distinction of being the world’s biggest Islamophobic state, which has turned against its own minorities including Muslims, Christians and others,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations, told the General Assembly.

The high-level event was convened by the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Mission to the UN in New York.

Among those who addressed the gathering were UN Secretary General António Guterres, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock, Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy on Combatting Islamophobia Miguel Ángel Moratinos, OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha and Türkiye’s Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz.

Earlier, India’s Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish delivered a general statement condemning violence in the name of religion, without specifically referring to Islam. He accused Pakistan of mistreating its minorities and fabricating narratives of Islamophobia, as well as weaponising the OIC against India.

Responding to the remarks, Ambassador Ahmad said India found it difficult to hide its “guilt and culpability” when it came to Islamophobia and criticised New Delhi for disrespecting the OIC.

“It was expected that India would join us today in condemning Islamophobia and would also brief the participants about the steps it will take to alleviate the plight of millions of Muslims and other religious minorities suffering from the hate-filled extremist Hindutva ideology in its country,” Ahmad said.

“India, however, chose to deflect this question and tried to politicise today’s debate,” he added. “This is a disservice to the victims of Islamophobia and undermines efforts being taken by responsible states of the world to combat this hate-spewing ideology.”

“What stands India apart is that Islamophobia in India is not perpetrated by some fringe elements but under the direct patronage of the Indian state and government,” the Pakistani envoy said.

Referring to the OIC’s Report on Islamophobia, Ahmad said India represented the most significant concentration of Islamophobic incidents globally.

He cited recent restrictions on Friday prayers in Srinagar during the holy month of Ramazan, noting that Muslims in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir were barred from offering prayers for the seventh consecutive year.

“Public lynching of Muslims and state-sponsored destruction of centuries-old mosques to be illegally replaced by Hindu temples are but a few examples of Islamophobia in India, so well known to the world,” he told delegates.

“While Muslims constitute the largest minority group suffering from hate crimes, other religious minorities are not spared either,” he added.

Ahmad urged the Indian government to distance itself from Islamophobic incidents and punish those responsible for such acts.

“India’s progress on this subject should be judged by its visible action, not the hollow rhetoric and lies its representatives peddle in international forums,” he said.

Speaking as chair of the OIC Core Group on Combatting Islamophobia during the closing session of the event, Ahmad stressed that no individual should face fear, discrimination, marginalisation or persecution because of their faith.

He also noted that the day marked the anniversary of the Christchurch mosque attacks on March 15, 2019, when 51 worshippers were killed in an act of religious hatred.

Ahmad said Islamophobia had deep historical roots, often arising from ignorance, prejudice and distorted narratives about Islam and Muslim societies. “Geopolitical tensions, prolonged conflicts, economic inequalities, foreign occupation and the rapid spread of disinformation online have further exacerbated the problem,” he added.

In recent years, Ahmad said Islamophobia had taken pernicious forms, including desecration of the Holy Quran, demolition of mosques, hate speech, bans on religious attire, and attacks on the lives and livelihoods of Muslims and other minorities.

He stressed that combatting Islamophobia was not merely a defence of Muslims but part of humanity’s broader struggle against racism, bigotry, xenophobia, intolerance and hatred.

Ahmad called on UN member states to strengthen domestic legal frameworks, dismantle structures that perpetuated exclusion, raise public awareness, regulate digital platforms, and safeguard freedom of religion and belief as universal rights.

He also acknowledged the UN role in leading global efforts to combat discrimination and religious intolerance, including Islamophobia.

Warning that intolerance often began with words rather than violence, Ahmad said silence and indifference allowed hatred to grow. He emphasised the need for collective action through education, dialogue, responsible leadership and principled measures to ensure that faith never became a cause for fear.

“Dialogue, mutual understanding, tolerance, compassion, solidarity and international cooperation must continue to guide our collective efforts and global partnerships to effectively address this global menace,” he said.

Read More: Islamophobia threatens global peace

In his address, UN chief Guterres urged countries to “work together” to eradicate the rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and called for rejecting “the narratives of fear and exclusion”.

As conflict and instability persist around the world, “millions of Muslims around the world carry that pain with them”, Guterres said. “Let us recommit to equality, human rights and dignity of every person, everywhere.”

The UN chief warned that for many Muslims living as minorities, daily life was shaped by exclusion, institutional discrimination, socioeconomic marginalisation, unwarranted surveillance and profiling.

As the world’s two billion Muslims approach the end of the holy month of Ramazan, Guterres called on governments to introduce measures that “safeguard equality, not entrench prejudice”.