Amid a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate, top UN officials condemned the scourge on Friday as the General Assembly adopted a resolution to push back against it during commemorations marking the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.<\/p>\n
The new resolution, tabled by Pakistan, calls for, among other things, concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims and requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.<\/p>\n
The world body created the International Day through a resolution adopted following attacks on two mosques Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 51 people dead on this day in 2019.<\/p>\n
Prior to adopting the new resolution, by a vote of 113 in favour to none against, with 44 abstentions, a divided Assembly rejected by a close margin two amendments proposed by a group of European nations.<\/p>\n
The proposals would have replaced key language in the resolution, including calling for a focal point instead of a UN special envoy and removing references to the desecration of the Quran.<\/p>\n
Online hate speech \u2018fuelling real-life violence<\/strong>\u2019<\/p>\n The UN chief on Friday said \u201cdivisive rhetoric and misrepresentation are stigmatising communities\u201d and everyone must unite to combat intolerance, stereotypes and bias.<\/p>\n \u201cOnline hate speech is fuelling real-life violence,\u201d Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres said in a statement, emphasising that digital platforms must moderate hateful content and protect users from harassment.<\/p>\n Institutional discrimination and other barriers are violating the human rights and dignity of Muslims, and much of this disturbing trend is part of a wider pattern of attacks against religious groups and vulnerable populations, also including Jewish people, minority Christian communities and others, he added.<\/p>\n \u201cWe must confront and root out bigotry in all its forms,\u201d he declared. \u201cLeaders must condemn inflammatory discourse and safeguard religious freedom. \u201cTogether, let us commit to promoting mutual respect and understanding, foster social cohesion and build peaceful, just and inclusive societies for all.\u201d<\/p>\n Faith literacy\u2019 must combat religion-based hate<\/strong><\/p>\n In Geneva, Volker T\u00fcrk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said all forms of religious hatred and intolerance are unacceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cThe message today is perhaps more urgent than ever: we are all well past the hour to restore peace, tolerance and respect,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know that fear breeds hate, ignorance and distrust of the other.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIslamophobia has stolen lives\u201d, dehumanising entire communities and sparking \u201ctorrents of hate speech, magnified by social media\u201d, he said, citing multiple reports on \u201chuge spikes\u201d in Islamophobic incidents amid the current conflict in the Middle East, with a nearly 600 per cent increase in some countries in North America and Europe.<\/p>\n States must record such incidents and urgently step up their efforts to combat intolerance against people based on religion or belief using the many available tools at their disposal, including the OHCHR guide to developing anti-discrimination legislation.<\/p>\n \u201cFaith literacy \u2013 in other words, knowledge and understanding about the values of each religion and belief \u2013 is also crucial,\u201d Mr. T\u00fcrk said, urging States to include it as part of comprehensive training initiatives on combating religious hatred for law enforcement officers and the judiciary, faith-based actors, teachers and media professionals.<\/p>\n Anti-Muslim hate spikes<\/strong><\/p>\n Also in Geneva, Nassima Baghli, Permanent Observer of the OIC, hosted a commemorative event on Friday, saying that \u201cIslamophobia is on the rise following the Israeli aggression on Gaza\u201d.<\/p>\n Citing recent anti-Muslim incidents, she pointed to cases several months ago of the desecration of the Quran.<\/p>\n \u201cDiscrimination and stereotypes based on religion or belief are doing a lot of harm as they dehumanise people and prevent them from enjoying their rights,\u201d Ms. Baghli said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to combat these scourges with great resolve with all the tools at our disposal,\u201d she said. \u201cOur common goal is to promote mutual understanding and respect for all.\u201d<\/p>\n UN rights experts: Nobody should fear having a religion<\/p>\n UN independent rights experts raised a range of concerns in a statement issued on Friday, stressing that \u201cStates and faith-based actors have human rights responsibilities, and they have to step in to counter such violations\u201d in line with the Rabat Plan of Action and the UN Faith for Rights framework and the #Faith4Rights toolkit to encourage respect for religious diversity.<\/p>\n \u201cAcross the world, we have witnessed attacks on mosques, cultural centres, schools and even private property belonging to Muslims,\u201d said the Human Rights Council-appointment experts, who are not UN staff and do not receive a salary.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this holy month of Ramadan, we are appalled at the continued refusal by Israel to allow adequate humanitarian assistance and food aid to be provided to the mainly Muslim civilian population in Gaza despite the widespread hunger and signs of severe malnutrition,\u201d the experts said, also raising serious concerns about undue restrictions imposed on access to the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the destruction of a significant number of places of worship in Gaza.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody should suffer fear for having or manifesting their religion or belief,\u201d they said. \u201cEveryone should feel safe and benefit from the equal protection of their human rights, which must be guaranteed by all States.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Amid a rising tide of anti-Muslim hate, top UN officials condemned the scourge on Friday as the General Assembly adopted a 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