United Nations:

India abstained from voting at the UN General Assembly on a draft resolution on Islamophobia sponsored by Pakistan and co-sponsored by China, saying “religious fears against Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and other faiths facing violence and discrimination must also be recognized” disease” prevails, rather than singling out just one religion.

The 193-member General Assembly passed the “Measures to Combat Islamophobia” resolution proposed by Pakistan on Friday, with 115 countries voting in favor and none against, while 44 abstained, including India, Brazil, France, Germany , Italy, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ruchila Kamboi, condemned all acts motivated by anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and Islamophobia, but asserted that it must be acknowledged that such phobia is not limited to Abrahamic religions.

“Clear evidence shows that followers of non-Abrahamic religions have also been affected by religious phobia for decades. This has led to the emergence of contemporary forms of religious phobia, particularly anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh sentiment, ” she said while explaining India’s position on the resolution.

India stressed that the adoption of the resolution should not set a precedent that could lead to a large number of resolutions focusing on phobias related to specific religions, “potentially dividing the United Nations into religious camps.” Kamboy said: “It is vital for the United Nations to maintain its stance on such religious issues that threaten to divide us rather than unite us under the banner of peace and harmony and see the world as one A global family.”

India calls on all member states to consider the broader issue of religious discrimination that persists around the world.

“While the problem of Islamophobia is undoubtedly serious, we must acknowledge that other religions also face discrimination and violence. Allocating resources solely to combat Islamophobia, while ignoring similar challenges faced by other faiths, can inadvertently perpetuate feelings of exclusion and inequality ,”she says.

Kamberg told the United Nations General Assembly that “it is crucial to realize that” Hinduism, which has more than 1.2 billion followers worldwide, Buddhism, which has more than 535 million followers, and Sikhism, which has more than 30 million followers, are all affected by The impact of religious phobia.

“It’s time we acknowledge the prevalence of religious phobia, rather than singling out just one,” she said.

Kamboje said contemporary forms of religious phobia are evident in the increasing attacks on religious places of worship, such as gurdwaras, monasteries and temples, in many countries, as well as the spread of hatred and disinformation against non-Abrahamic religions.

“The destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, the violation of Gurudwara premises, the massacre of Sikh pilgrims at Gurudwaras, the attacks on temples and the glorification of broken idols in temples have led to contemporary The rise of forms of religious phobia against non-Abrahamic religions,” she said.

In March 2001, the Taliban destroyed a giant Buddha statue in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, triggering global condemnation.

Kamboj stressed that India opposes all forms of religious phobia, be it anti-Semitism, Christianophobia or Islamophobia, as “we oppose all anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh sentiments”. The resolution condemns incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence against Muslims, manifested in increasing incidents of desecration of holy books, attacks on mosques, venues and holy sites, and other acts of religious intolerance, negative stereotypes, hatred and violence against Muslims.

It also asked UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to appoint a UN special envoy to combat Islamophobia.

She said India expressed “principle” opposition to the creation of envoy posts based on a single religion.

Kamboj noted that the significant budgetary implications of establishing such a position “makes us stop and think about whether this is the most efficient use of resources. Couldn’t we achieve greater results by taking a more inclusive approach to comprehensively address religious discrimination?” Impact?” She emphasized that India, as a pluralistic democracy with a long history of practicing many religions, has long been a refuge for those who have been persecuted for their beliefs.

“Whether they are Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jews or followers of any other faith, they have always found a refuge in India from persecution or discrimination,” she said.

Before adopting the resolution, the General Assembly rejected two amendments to the draft proposed by Belgium on behalf of the EU. India voted in favor of both amendments.

One of the amendments proposed changing the wording of the resolution to remove references to blasphemy against the Quran.

Another amendment calls for the appointment of a “UN focal point for combating anti-Muslim discrimination within existing structures and resources” rather than a U.N. envoy.

Following the 2019 mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which killed more than 50 people, the General Assembly adopted a resolution in 2022 declaring March 15 the “International Day to Combat Islamophobia.”

In his speech to mark the day, Guterres said there is a rising tide of anti-Muslim hatred and bigotry around the world, which takes many forms, such as structural and systemic discrimination, unequal immigration policies, unwarranted surveillance and Analysis and restrictions on access to citizenship, education, employment and justice.

The UN chief also expressed concern about “supremacist ideologies and attacks” against Jews, Christian minorities and many others. “Hate against one group fuels hatred against another. Hate normalizes hatred. Hate destroys the fabric of our society,” he said. PTI YAS AMS AKJ AMS

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)