The phenomenon of Islamophobia has seen a decline during the third quarter of 2017, especially in Western countries, according to a report released by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, on Monday.

The Saudi Press Agency, SPA, said that according to the Observatory of Islamophobia at the General Secretariat of the OIC, based on relevant data collected and analysed in its third report this year, the period has witnessed a marked decline in incidents of Islamophobia compared to the last four years, based on the number of news items recorded in the media related to the phenomenon.

European countries and the United States witnessed a marked decline compared with 2016 and the first quarter of 2017, which were considered the two hot spots in terms of ongoing violations against Muslims and Islamic religious symbols, including acts of aggressive speech and hatred, the report stated, adding that those who spread discrimination, racism and hatred do not reflect the diversity of the population, the agency added.