Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Islamophobia politicized

Islamophobia has become institutionalized and politicized according to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The group considers the western media has played a major role in advancing Islamophobia.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the OIC, spoke of the growing trend of Islamophobia as he addressed the issue of “The Acts of Defamation Against Islam: Dimensions of Clash and Prospects of Coexistence between Islam and the West” at OIC headquarters. The Saudi Gazette reported Ekmeleddin said Islamophobia grew from an initial phase where the world was in denial about the concept, to a second phase of "institutionalized and politicized" Islamphobia. He cited gains made by extreme rightists in some European countries, along with the legal ban on minarets in Switzerland, as examples of how Islamophobia is used for political purposes. The Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Makkah, Ambassador Mohammad Tayeb, accused western media of promoting Islamophia, and a failure to understand Islam. The OIC describes itself as "the collective voice of the Muslim world," representing 56 countries. Following the release of the video "Innocence of Muslims" the OIC called for expressions of Islamophobia to be made illegal. The OIC addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council in September, claiming "Islamophobia must be acknowledged as a contemporary form of racism." Thus far there have been no moves to placate Islamic nations demanding blasphemy be outlawed.