Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I am very pleased to see you here today at the third international conference on combating Islamophobia, entitled “Islamophobia in Focus: Unveiling Bias, Shattering Stigmas.” 

The event, as it was the case in previous years, is jointly organized by the Center for the Analysis of International Relations and the Baku International Center for Multiculturalism and several international partners—I am pleased to see the growing number of co-organizers. I would like to thank all the partners and, of course, the participants who are with us today to share their valuable input. 

With 2025 marking a pivotal moment, there is a pressing need for international action to confront both state-driven and societal forms of discrimination against Muslim communities, including hate crimes and the destruction of Muslim heritage sites.

We see further the rising incidents of Islamophobia and, more alarming, state practices against the Muslim communities. Across Europe, the rise of far-right political forces has led to measures that restrict Islamic expression, often framed under the pretense of promoting “assimilation” or “integration.” National discourses are increasingly influenced by populist rhetoric that stigmatizes Muslims and equates their religious identity with extremism. In South Asia, a surge in inflammatory rhetoric and hate crimes signals a disturbing trend of state-sanctioned anti-Muslim nationalism, justified through narratives of cultural uniformity.

Thus, Islamophobia poses a serious threat to global stability and cohesion, undermining international security and cooperation.

The reason why we are gathered here today is not only to discuss the growing threats of Islamophobia but also to get to the roots of this phenomenon and understand its historical and cultural foundations. Islamophobia is not only hatred or fear directed against Muslims, but also an ideological structure that shapes the West's view of the East and, as a result, creates distorted images of Muslims.

The basis of this approach is Edward Said's work "Orientalism." Showing how the West presents the East as "backward" and "dangerous," Said emphasized that these distortions do not consist only of academic and cultural representations but also reflect political and economic power relations. This approach aims not to understand the East but to control it.

Today, these distortions manifest themselves not only in academic discussions but also in our daily lives.  We are witnessing a growing intensification of Islamophobia across Europe, South Asia, and many other parts of the world.

This is, as Said put it, a modern manifestation of "Orientalism," that is, a continuation of distorted attitudes towards the East. Islamophobia is not just individual hatred or fear, it is also a geopolitical threat. This phenomenon causes tensions, conflicts, and even terrorism in international relations and may continue in the future. 

I would like to emphasize that radical religious groups try to hijack the topic of Islam, causing more division than unity in the Muslim world.

Therefore, I do see a role of secular countries like Azerbaijan in the fight against anti-Muslim policies. We should not permit radical groups to monopolize the issue of Islamophobia. They are the problems occasionally causing Islamophobia.

Thank you for your attention !