“Islam is being used to suppress innovation” says Foreign Secretary Dr Ali Naseer Mohamed. Speaking at the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Foreign Secretary asserted that Islam inspired the best and attracted the best, not through compulsion, but through inspiration. “Islam liberated the world, it liberated societies from darkness and into the light”, he said.
Recalling the Golden Era of Islam, the Foreign Secretary noted that Islam, the religion of innovation, science and progress, is now being characterized as a religion of violence and extremism. This Islamaphobia must be addressed through addressing the concerns that give rise to Islamaphobia as well as through self-reflection.
The Annual Coordination Meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, is an annual gathering of Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly.
