UNITED NATIONS, Jun 17 (APP):Pakistan has called for “urgent and collective response” to the rise in hate speech, disinformation and violent extremism, saying such narratives fracture societies and endanger peace and stability.
“All of this is targeting people of different faiths, including Muslims, and also individuals based on race, gender, and nationality,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told a high-level event marking International Day for Countering Hate Speech.
He said that Monday’s meeting, organized by Morocco and the Office on Genocide Prevention, served as a reminder of “our shared responsibility to counter intolerance, uphold dignity, and safeguard pluralism.”
In a message, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called hate speech a “poison in the well of society.”
Ethnic and religious minorities , he said, often bear the brunt — facing discrimination, exclusion and harm.
“To drown out the voices of hate, we need partnerships at every level: among governments, civil society, private companies and religious and community leaders,” the UN chief said.
“We need to counter toxic narratives with positive messaging and empower people to recognize, reject and stand up to hate speech. The United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech guides the way.”
In his remarks, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, the Pakistani envoy said, “The surge in Islamophobia—through discriminatory laws, defamation of religious symbols, and orchestrated vilification are particularly alarming trends.”
“Media platforms, especially those aligned with dominant political forces, have enabled this hate,” he said, noting that similar tactics now target other marginalized communities.
Rising racism and xenophobia were fueling division and exclusion, the Pakistani envoy said.
In this regard, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar welcomed the appointment of the UN Special Envoy on Combating Islamophobia, pursuant to General Assembly resolution 78/264, led by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC, calling this institutional step is “timely.” .
“Digital platforms in particular have become vehicles for hate amplification,” he said, “Algorithms reward sensationalism, targeting people on the basis of identity and background. This is further worsened by politicized media, where truth is often sacrificed for influence.”
The Pakistani envoy called for the full implementation of the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech.
“Addressing hate in all its forms and manifestations—religious, racial, gender-based, or national—is key to global harmony,” he added.
On his part, the High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations and UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Miguel Angel Moratinos,said hate speech drives wedges between communities, sparks fear and anger and may often lead to violence which threatens peace and stability in societies.
About his appointment as UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, he said it reflects “a growing awareness of the bigotry and dehumanizing rhetoric that Muslims have to quite often face in many parts of the world for no other reason than their faith.”
” Muslims are challenged with Institutional discrimination and socio-economic restrictions in several non-Muslim majority countries, ” Moratinos said, while stressing the need to address this trend.