Comparing UN Treatment of Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia If it had the will, the UN could do far more to fight anti-Semitism in its resolutions. this is evident when one considers and compares how islamophobia is treated. Since 1999, resolutions making special mention of islamophobia have frequently been enacted by the General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights (and by its successor, the Human Rights Council), in texts concerning “defamation of religions.” These Islamic-sponsored resolutions “stress the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions, Islam and muslims in particular”; express “deep concern” at “attempts to identify Islam with terrorism, violence and human rights violations”; express concern at laws “specifically designed to ‘control’ and ‘monitor’ muslim and Arab minorities,” and at the “ethnic and religious profiling of muslim minorities.” In addition, these resolutions typically request special reports—on islamophobia or the “defamation” of islam—from the Secretary-General, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, or the independent experts on racism and religion, in order to force the issue to remain constantly on the agenda and under plenary discussion. By contrast, neither the GA nor the Human Rights Council has yet to pass any dedicated resolution or request any report on the hatred of Jews or Christians. Addressing this phenomenon, mr. Annan asked: “Are not Jews entitled to the same degree of concern and protection?” So far, under GA and Human Rights Council resolutions, the answer is no. Mr. Annan also cited key elements of the Berlin Declaration that he hoped “the broader membership of the United nations will adopt.” Regrettably, despite expectations in 2004, so far it has not. unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6DEB65DA-BE5B-4CAE-8056-8BF0BEDF4D17%7D/UNW_THE_UN_AND_ANTI_SEMITISM_04_07_REPORT_CARD.PDF
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 01:04:08 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015