Sadek Hamid: Baku conference on tackling Islamophobia is very strong statement on international stage

“I think this conference is a very strong statement on the international stage, showing that a country, a whole country is taking the issue of Islamophobia seriously, and representing this issue on the global stage,” Sadek Hamid, a Research Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity, said at the conference themed "Embracing Diversity: Tackling Islamophobia in 2024," held in Baku, Report informs.

“Western Europe and America, do not take the issue of Islamophobia seriously, other than, you know, certain statements and communiques and talk, political talk. Mostly European politicians ignore the issue of Islamophobia. What is really needed is concrete action. What we need is the implementation of policies into the real world, because otherwise, these are just words on paper, or they're statements that are shared for publicity, and PR,” he stressed.

According to Hamid, this conference, organized by Azerbaijan, could potentially increase momentum at the interstate level in tackling Islamophobia: “It could encourage other countries to do similar initiatives. It could push the issue of Islamophobia, and maintain it on the global stage, along with other global challenges. See, it is a global challenge because we Muslims make up more than 25% of the world's population.”