The recent appointment of a UN Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia reflects international commitment to address discrimination and hostility against Muslims, the first person to hold the position has said.
"Everybody understood that something had to be done in order to eradicate and eliminate this sense of intolerance and lack of acceptance of these people," Miguel Ángel Moratinos said in an interview with UN News.
In the face of rising Islamophobia, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution in March 2024 that condemned anti-Muslim violence.
Acting against intolerance
It called for countries to take all necessary measures - including legislative and policy measures - to combat religious intolerance, and to prohibit by law incitement to violence against persons on the grounds of their religion or belief.
The resolution also requested the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia.
Mr. Moratinos assumed the post this month and will also continue in his present role as High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations ( UNAOC ), established two decades ago to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue.
He reflected on the significance of the new appointment, how it supplements his work to fight antisemitism, and the priorities that lie ahead.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: I think this is a key moment for the UN and for the commitment to fight Islamophobia. It comes at a moment when the whole international community, all 193 UN Member States, decided to have this figure in order to demonstrate that they are all in favour of combating Islamophobia. That means combating discrimination, hostility and violence against Muslim people that want to live in peace and dignity.
Everybody understood that something had to be done to eradicate and eliminate this sense of intolerance and lack of acceptance of these people. They have a faith, they have a religion, they have a mission, and so they have to be respected like any other human being.
UN News: You are also serving as the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). How does combining the fight against Islamophobia with your department's broader mission enhance the UN's efforts to promote intercultural and interfaith dialogue?
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: The UN Alliance of Civilizations has a broader mission. It was started 20 years ago when then Secretary-General Kofi Annan decided to launch this initiative.
I was thinking over the past days, when I had been appointed as the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, that this was the right response because when I was Foreign Minister of Spain and we decided with the then Prime Minister (José Luis Rodríguez) Zapatero to launch this idea for an Alliance of Civilizations, behind this idea was what happened after 9-11 and why there was this kind of reluctance, misunderstanding and confusion about Islam.
Now I have the broader mandate in the Alliance of Civilizations. We are working not only on fighting discrimination based on religion, faith or belief, but we also have the cultural religion aspect in order to facilitate conflict resolution, prevention and how we create the means to achieve peace and live better together.
But at the same time, we need a specific mandate to go further in our fight against this kind of discrimination. I have the portfolio of focal point for antisemitism and now I also have the portfolio to combat Islamophobia.
UN News: How can the UN better address rising Islamophobia generally or globally in our world today?
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: Islamophobia is not something that only occurs in Europe or in the United States, but globally. We are in a multipolar world. All problems and actions take place across the planet and the UN has to address them.
The UN is the platform that takes all countries and nations into consideration. And, of course, the Muslim community is one of the biggest on the planet. We are practically eight billion people and 2.5 billion are Muslim.
I think the UN is the best platform to really fight against any kind of discrimination or negative attitude towards them.
UN News: Now that you have this dual role as a High Representative for the UNAOC and Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, tell us about your top priorities.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: My top priority will of course be the general action programme of the Alliance for Civilizations. We have a UN plan for fighting antisemitism and we will also have a UN plan to fight Islamophobia.
We will set certain priorities and of course the most important is to reduce this rise of anti-Islamic and Muslim hatred that is spreading around the world. We have to engage with the main international organizations and main countries that have the capacity and that are concerned about the spread of this anti-Muslim behaviour.
UN News: What are some examples of projects or partnerships you are currently working on or hope to implement in the future?
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: We have several that have to start immediately. Islam is not well understood in the western world, so we have to use education. We have to establish certain programmes to explain what Islam is, what the Quran is. People are referring to the Quran and to Islam, but they have not read the Quran at all, so they don't know.
Second, we have to be very strong in condemning any act, hostility, violation or attack against not only Muslim people, but Islamic property, holy sites, holy books, etc.
We have to reinforce respect. And for that, we need to introduce certain elements into the legal systems of western countries. Some countries like Sweden and Denmark have made certain reforms in their legal systems, so they can be made through dialogue, through understanding, through respect. And I think this legal empowerment to defend and to combat Islamophobia is needed.
UN News: Any final thoughts?
Miguel Ángel Moratinos: I think this appointment came at the right moment. What really encouraged me is that I have the full support of the international community. It showed that the whole world - whether you are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, or Buddhist, or any faith - all Member States voted for this resolution and for the appointment of a Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia. I think that will help me to successfully achieve my mandate.
