The UN calls for fighting intolerance in all its forms. The General Assembly adopted a resolution to combat Islamophobia UN
On Friday, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to combat Islamophobia. The document submitted by Pakistan, inter alia, calls on the Secretary-General to appoint a Special Envoy on this issue. The resolution also calls for a coordinated approach to countering violence against Muslims.
March 15 is the International Day against Islamophobia. The United Nations established this day after the attacks on mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, which left 51 people dead.
New resolution
113 countries voted for the resolution, 44 abstained. Not a single state voted against it. The General Assembly did not accept amendments to the resolution proposed by a group of European countries, which included several changes to the text, including a call to appoint a Coordinator instead of a Special Envoy and to remove references to the desecration of the Koran.
Online hate speech
The UN chief said Friday that rhetoric that divides people and distorts facts. leads to the stigmatization of entire populations, and that the international community must unite to combat intolerance, stereotyping and bias.
“Online hate speech fuels offline violence,” said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement, stressing that digital platforms must moderate hateful content and protect users from harassment.
Institutional discrimination and other barriers undermine the rights of Muslims, and in many ways this alarming phenomenon is part of a broader trend of attacks on religious groups, including followers of Judaism and Christian minorities.
“We must confront fanaticism and eradicate it in all its forms,” the UN chief emphasized. “Leaders must condemn inflammatory speech and protect religious freedom,” he added.
“Religious literacy” in the fight against hatred
In Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Volker Turk said all forms of religious hatred and intolerance are unacceptable.
“We know that fear breeds hatred, ignorance and mistrust of the other,” he said.
Islamophobia leads to murder, dehumanization of entire communities and incitement to hatred, Turk noted. He recalled the surge in Islamophobic incidents amid the conflict in the Middle East. Thus, in some countries in Europe and North America, the number of such incidents has increased almost sevenfold.
States must document such violations and intensify their efforts to combat intolerance against people basis of religion or belief.
“Religious literacy – in other words, knowledge and understanding of the values of each religion and belief – is also critical,” Turk said, calling on states to include it into comprehensive initiatives to combat religious hatred.