Islamabad: The Muslim Institute organised a seminar titled “Genocide and Mass Murders of Muslims in Contemporary History (1857 to Date)”, which brought together prominent scholars and diplomats.
Speakers included Sahibzada Sultan Ahmed Ali, Chairman, Muslim Institute; Raja Zafar ul Haq, Secretary General, Motamar Al-Alam Al-Islami; Ambassador (r) Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi Qureshi and Major General (r) Khalid Amir Jaffery, former Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dr. Alia Sohail Khan moderated the session. Speakers highlighted the painful history of organized and state-sponsored genocides and mass killings against Muslim populations, targeting their cultural identity, heritage, and survival.
This pattern is not limited to one region but spans across North Africa, Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The speakers emphasized that genocide is not just a past tragedy, but a living reality for Muslims worldwide.
They stressed that the issue of Muslim genocide requires serious attention, coordination, and global recognition, just like Islamophobia. The speakers referenced systematic atrocities committed under colonial and imperial policies, including: - British Raj, Russian authorities in Chechnya, Bosnia and the Balkans, Rohingya, Turks, Libyans, Palestinians, and India.
These events have resulted in the killing of over 13 million Muslims, displacement, and forced migration.The speakers noted ongoing brutalities against Palestinians, Kashmiris, and Rohingya, and recalled the 2002 Gujarat massacre. They emphasized that these atrocities are not internal matters, but violations of international human rights frameworks and the 1948 Genocide Convention.
