Political and religious leaders have a crucial role to play in preventing religiously offensive acts by denouncing all desecrations of holy places and symbols, said Volker Turk. (AFP)
Metropolis Desk-
The head of the UN’s human rights office expressed on Tuesday that he was “immensely sympathetic” to the many individuals who are angered by activities that go against “their deepest values and beliefs.”
According to Volker Turk, recent occurrences involving the burning of the Qur’an and other comparable acts appear to have been created to incite resentment, sow discord, and convert ideological differences into hatred and bloodshed.
At the 53rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, he was giving a speech during a pressing discussion on “the alarming rise in premeditated and public acts of religious hatred as manifested by the recurrent desecration of the Holy Qur’an in some European and other countries.”
The burning of the Qur’an outside a mosque in Stockholm during the Eid Al-Adha holiday last month, which generated outrage throughout the Muslim world and widespread condemnation, served as the impetus for the discussion.
Turk, the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, remarked that humans communicate by symbols rather than words. “A ring symbolizes our promise to wed. We are told to stop or move on by a colored light.
“Religious symbols have a deeper meaning. For some, symbols like a crescent, a star, a cross, and a seated person may not have much meaning. However, they hold great relevance for many people as the repository and embodiment of a vast history, a vast system of values, a basis for a sense of community and belonging, and the very essence of their identity and fundamental beliefs.
Political and religious leaders must condemn any desecrations of holy sites and symbols to prevent religiously objectionable behaviors, he continued.
Additionally, they must make it clear that past provocation, whether genuine or imagined, cannot be used to excuse violence, Turk added.
However, he added, “An act of speech, in the specific circumstances in which it occurs, can constitute incitement on the part of others to action on their part — in some cases, very violent and discriminatory action.”
He claimed that states must forbid “any advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence” invoking the norms of international law.
Nevertheless, he went on to say that “any national restrictions to the overriding right to freedom of opinion and expression must be formulated so that their sole purpose and outcome is to protect individuals, rather than to shield religious doctrine from critical review.”
In addition, Turk emphasized the significance of measures to combat hate speech, saying that it “needs to be actively countered by all responsible authorities, figures of influence, and the private sector.”
He pleaded with governments to step up their efforts to put the UN action plan for fighting discrimination based on religion or beliefs into action.
He stated that “many societies are struggling with this political weaponization of religious differences.”
“We must not allow ourselves to be snared and used by these dealers in chaos for political gain, these provocateurs who consciously try to split us apart.”
Source- Arab News
