Matter of concern: UN official on CAA, hate speech against Indian Muslims

Welcome Guest! You are here: Home » International

Matter of concern: UN official on CAA, hate speech against Indian Muslims

Hate speech and the dehumanisation of others go against international human rights norms and values, Dieng said

Tuesday May 19, 2020 11:57 PM, ummid.com with inputs from IANS

New York: Under-Secretary-General Adama Dieng who is also the Special Adviser on the prevention of genocide, Tuesday said he was concerned by reports of increased hate speech and discrimination against minority since the adoption of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in December 2019.

"Hate speech and the dehumanisation of others go against international human rights norms and values", Dieng said.

Against International Human Rights Law

Dieng said that the expedited citizenship given to non-Muslim minorities should be extended to Muslims in order to be non-discriminatory.

"Excluding Muslims is contrary to India's obligations under international human rights law, in particular on non-discrimination," he said.

"While the objective of the act, to provide protection to minority communities, is commendable, it is concerning that this protection is not extended to all groups, including Muslims," Dieng said.

Dieng also said that he was concerned over reports that demonstrations against the law, which occurred across some regions of India since its enactment, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, had reportedly resulted in the injury and death of civilians, attacks on religious sites, as well as an increase in expressions of hate against India's Muslim community."

'Extremely alarming'

Dieng also criticised BJP Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, saying that the latter's alleged statements about Muslims were "extremely alarming".

"Statements such as those expressed by Swamy, that all people are not equal, and that Muslims are not in an "equal category" as others are extremely alarming", he said.

Dieng further said that he would continue to follow developments (in India) and expressed his readiness to support initiatives to counter and address hate speech.

"In these extraordinary times brought about by the Covid-19 crisis, it is more important than ever that we stand united as one humanity, demonstrating unity and solidarity rather than division and hate," he added.

Subramanian Swamy meanwhile sought from Dieng the source of the statement attributed to him.

For all the latest News, Opinions and Views, download ummid.com App.

Select Language To Read in Urdu, Hindi, Marathi or Arabic.