[The Indian Express] Ram Madhav on UN Islamophobia resolution: A resolution that excludes

The article titled “A narrow resolution” discusses the United Nations’ approach to combating religious discrimination. Here’s a summary:

– In 2022, Pakistan moved a resolution at the United Nations calling for the establishment of an “International Day to Combat Islamophobia”.
– Several countries, including India, objected, arguing that singling out one religion for religiophobia is ill-advised as many religions face similar situations.
– Despite the objections, the UN went ahead to declare March 15 as the day to combat Islamophobia¹.
– This year, the Pakistani representative returned with a new demand that a “special envoy” be appointed to “initiate specific actions to combat Islamophobia”.
– Many countries raised objections again, but the resolution was adopted by a majority vote, and the UN decided to make a massive budgetary allocation for the office of the special envoy.
– India and several other European nations suggested that the scope of the resolution may be enlarged to include discrimination against all religions.
– The Permanent Representative of India, Ambassador T S Tirumurti, argued that while there was a global rise in sectarian violence, anti-Semitism, Christiano-phobia and Islamophobia, anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh examples abound as well.
– He insisted that it was time to acknowledge that there exists an “abundance of phobias”, rather than thinking that only one phobia, Islamophobia, exists.
– He also reminded those present that there was already a UN-designated “International Day of Tolerance” on November 16 and underscored that the important word “pluralism”, a principle which India firmly upholds, was missing in the entire resolution.
– Such rational arguments, reiterated once again by the current Permanent Representative Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj this year fell on deaf ears of the declining institution.
– The Indian representative was more forthright in warning the international body that such resolutions could set a precedent resulting in the prestigious organisation itself getting divided into “religious camps”.

Source: Conversation with Bing
A narrow resolution | The Indian Express.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/a-narrow-resolution-9229358/.