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World rallies behind UN Resolution on Islamophobia, India abstains

The United Nations Friday March 15, 2024 passed with an overwhelming majority a resolution calling for the world to unite against rampant Islamophobia. Read More

Saturday March 16, 2024 7:53 PM, ummid.com News Network

New York: The United Nations Friday March 15, 2024 passed with an overwhelming majority a resolution calling for the world to unite against rampant Islamophobia.

The resolution, tabled in the UN General Assembly by Pakistan, calls for, among other things, concerted action to fight the ongoing violence against Muslims in various parts of the world and requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy to combat Islamophobia.

Unprecedented support for UN resolution

The resolution received the support from 115 members with 44 abstentions and none in opposition. India is one of the 44 countries which decided to abstain from voting.

The resolution was passed on March 15 which coincided with International Day to Combat Islamophobia.

A UN General Assembly resolution in 2022 proclaimed March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia. The resolution was adopted following attacks on two mosques Christchurch, New Zealand, that left 51 people dead on this day in 2019.

Prior to adopting the new resolution, the UN General Assembly rejected by a close margin two amendments proposed by a group of European nations.

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, the United Nations said in a release.

'Bigotry in all its forms must be stopped'

Asserting that online hate speech is fuelling real-life violence, the UN Chief in a statement issued on International Day to Combat Islamophobia said, “Divisive rhetoric and misrepresentation are stigmatising communities and everyone must unite to combat intolerance, stereotypes and bias."

“We must confront and root out bigotry in all its forms,” he declared.

“Leaders must condemn inflammatory discourse and safeguard religious freedom. Together, let us commit to promoting mutual respect and understanding, foster social cohesion and build peaceful, just and inclusive societies for all", he said.

'Spikes in Islamophobic incidents'

In Geneva, Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), cited multiple reports on “huge spikes” 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.

“Islamophobia has stolen lives, and dehumanising entire communities and sparking torrents of hate speech, magnified by social media”, he said.

Nassima Baghli, Permanent Observer of the OIC, hosted a commemorative event on Friday in Geneva.

“Islamophobia is on the rise following the Israeli aggression on Gaza”, she said at the event.

Saudi Arabia and a number of other countries along with the Muslim World League (MWL) welcomed the adoption of the resolution by the UN General Assembly to combat Islamophobia and the appointment of a special UN envoy for the same purpose.

Meanwhile, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj explaining why the country abstained from voting voiced condemnation of all acts motivated by "anti-Semitism", "Christianophobia" and "Islamophobia" but asserted that it is crucial to acknowledge that such "phobias extend beyond Abrahamic religions."

 

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