UN resolution on measures to combat Islamophobia

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in news?
• What is United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)?
• What is Religiophobia?
• What is International Day to Combat Islamophobia?
• UN resolution on measures to combat Islamophobia
• India’s stand on the resolution

Why in news?

India abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution on Islamophobia, calling out the prevalence of "religiophobia" against Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and other faiths.

The resolution was introduced on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia by Pakistan and co-sponsored by China.

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)

• It was established in 1945 under the Charter of the United Nations and is headquartered in New York City.
• It is one of the 6 principal organs of UN and serves as the main policy-making organ.
• It provides a unique forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the Charter of the United Nations.
• Each Member States of the United Nations has an equal vote.

Religiophobia

• Religiophobia represents an irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety of religion, religious faith, religious people or religious organisations.
• Global counter-terrorism strategy of UN recognises different types of religiophobia such as Islamophobia, Christianophobia and anti-Semitism.
• Off late, analysts have started a discussion around the need to recognise new phobias, hatred or bias against other major religions of the world.
  • The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern.

International Day to Combat Islamophobia

• In 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a Pakistan-sponsored resolution to declare March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
  • The resolution, introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), was adopted by consensus.
  • It was backed by 57 members of OIC and eight other countries, including China and Russia.
• The resolution was adopted in the wake of attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in 2019

UN resolution on measures to combat Islamophobia

• Adopted by the UNGA
  • The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution ‘Measures to combat Islamophobia’, introduced by Pakistan.
  • 115 nations voted in favour, none against and 44 abstentions, including India, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine and the UK.
• Resolution
  • The resolution criticized the encouragement of unfair treatment, aggression, or violence towards Muslims, shown by more incidents of:
    • disrespecting their holy book, attacking mosques, sites, shrines, and
    • other acts of religious intolerance, negative labelling, hate, and violence against Muslims.
  • The new resolution calls for, among other things, concerted action to fight ongoing violence against Muslims.
  • It requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.

India’s stand on the resolution

• Other forms of religiophobia must be acknowledged
  • India asserted that the prevalence of religiophobia against Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and other faiths facing violence and discrimination must also be acknowledged rather than singling out just one religion.
    • As per India, it is crucial to acknowledge that such phobias extend beyond Abrahamic religions.
• Highlighted the incidents of other forms of religiophobia
  • Indian representative at the UN noted that Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism more than 30 million and are all subject to religiophobia.
  • She said the contemporary forms of religiophobia are evident in:
    • increasing attacks on religious places of worship such as gurudwaras, monasteries and temples,
    • as well as the spreading of hatred and disinformation against non-Abrahamic religions in many countries.
  • The destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, violations of gurudwara premises, massacres of Sikh pilgrims in gurudwaras, attacks on temples, and the glorification of breaking idols in temples all contribute to the rise of contemporary forms of religiophobia against non-Abrahamic religions.
• Concerns about UN Resolution
  • India emphasized that passing the resolution should not set a precedent leading to many resolutions focused on fears linked to particular religions.
  • India is worried that this could split the United Nations into religious groups.
  • Hence, India called on all member states to consider the broader scope of religious discrimination that persists globally.
  • Allocating resources solely to combat Islamophobia, while neglecting similar challenges faced by other faiths, might inadvertently perpetuate a sense of exclusion and inequality.

Q1) What is Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)?

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an intergovernmental organization (IGO) founded in 1969 to represent the Muslim world and protect its interests. The OIC has 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority countries, and its headquarters are in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The OIC's motto is "To safeguard the interests and ensure the progress and well-being of Muslims". The OIC's official languages are Arabic, English, and French.

Q2) What are the principal organs of UN?

The main organs of the UN are the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice, and the UN Secretariat. All were established in 1945 when the UN was founded.

Source: India abstains in UNGA on Pak resolution on Islamophobia, says religiophobia against Hinduism, Sikhism must also be acknowledged | United Nations | India Today