The Breakout Session “Multiculturalism, Islam and the Clash of Civilisations Theory: Rethinking Islamophobia” has been held on the sidelines of the international scientific conference themed “Embracing Diversity: Tackling Islamophobia in 2024” held in Baku.

The session was moderated by Jannah Scott, Former Deputy Director of U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships; Director of American Center for Feligious Freedom.

In his remarks, Mahmut Erol Kılıç, Director General of the Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA) said that Islamophobia is a chronic disease that is growing quite rapidly. Noting that this problem manifests itself at different levels in society, the Director General described Islamophobia as an epidemic.

Waqaruzzaman Azmi, Chairman of Remembering Srebrenica UK and Chief Executive of Badger Health Group underscored that Islamophobia is not limited to mistreatment of Muslims, adding that it has more negative aspects at its root. “I cordially congratulate the President of Azerbaijan and the people of Azerbaijan for combatting Islamophobia with a global strategy. The fight against Islamophobia is one of the most fundamental issues in the global perspective, therefore, it needs a global strategy,” he added.

Secretary General of US Council of Muslim Organizations Oussama Ali Jammal emphasized that it is regrettable that discrimination against Muslim Americans still continues. “The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the United States shifted the way Muslim Americans were treated, and millions of innocent Muslims were subjected to mass attacks,” the Secretary General mentioned.

Expressing his gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the excellent organization of the conference, Oussama Ali Jammal said: "It is a great job to support the holding of such forums. I am confident that friendly relations between the Muslims of Azerbaijan and the United States will further develop."

Noting that Islamophobia is spreading rapidly, Prof. Yashar Çolak, Vice-President of Türkiye Diyanet Foundation Islamic Research Center, underlined that the negative consequences of this problem in society are undeniable. He said that Islamophobia is spreading systematically and becoming an integral part of our daily life.

Speaking at the event, Elshad Iskandarov Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan mentioned that the recent act of vandalism committed against the statue of prominent Azerbaijani poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan in France is the most obvious example of Islamophobia. “The world is changing rapidly and Islamophobia is a "product" of a multipolar world. Over the past 50 years, Western countries have further developed the phenomenon of Islamophobia. They describe Muslims as terrorists in public, as if they say that terrorist acts are committed only by Muslims,” the Azerbaijani diplomat noted.

Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Aix-Marseille University Baptiste Brodard and Professor of International Relations and Research Director at Center for International Policy Research Bülent Aras also addressed the breakout session.

The plenary session continued with discussions.