UN Secretary-General António Guterres [official profile] called on everyone on Tuesday to recognize the value of diversity by drawing strength from the principles of inclusion, tolerance and mutual understanding. The statement [text] was included in a video at an event aimed at combating anti-Muslim discrimination and hatred [UN News Centre report], noting that these acts are increasing. He stated:

Anti-Muslim hate crimes and other forms of bigotry are on the rise. The same applies to xenophobia, racism and anti-Semitism. In addition, many people are victims of intolerance and suspicions that may not appear in statistics—but degrade people’s dignity and our common humanity.

In times of insecurity, communities that look different become convenient scapegoats. We must resist cynical efforts to divide communities and portray neighbours as “the other.”

Discrimination diminishes us all. It prevents people—and societies—from achieving their full potential.

Let us draw strength from the values of inclusion, tolerance and mutual understanding that are at the heart of all major faiths and the United Nations Charter.

Guterres also advised that as societies become more diverse, they need to make greater investments in promoting cohesion and treating diversity “as a richness, not a threat.” With the goal of promoting “respect, safety and dignity for all,” the UN launched the Together [official website] campaign in September 2016.

In recent years, Muslims have faced increased discrimination in the US and other western countries. In November the FBI [official website] released the 2015 Hate Crime Statistics, showing the number of hate crimes reported to police increased by about 6.7 percent [JURIST report] last year, led largely by a 67 percent rise in crimes against Muslims. These statistics released by the FBI support a report by California State University, San Bernardino [JURIST report] that was released last September that found hate crime was on the rise, particularly among Muslims and Arab-Americans. In the UK prosecutors have been encouraged to use tougher sentences [JURIST report] against hate crimes in response to the nation’s increasingly hostile environment since the EU referendum. Since the middle of June more than 6,000 hate crimes and incidents have been reported to the authorities.