NEW DELHI: India has urged the United Nations to recognise the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias, so that it can address the threat posed by them.
India also pointed out that such phobia is no longer limited to the three Abrhamic religions.
“The UN has highlighted some of them over the years, namely, those based on Islamophobia, Christianophobia and antisemitism – the three Abrahamic religions. These three find mention in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. But new phobias, hatred or bias against other major religions of the world need to also be fully recognised,” India’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said. He was speaking at the International Counter Terrorism Conference 2022 organised by the Global Counter Terrorism Council.
The emergence of anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias “is a matter of serious concern and needs attention of the UN and all member states. It is only then can we bring greater balance into our discussion on such topics,” Tirumurti said.
He also warned against categorising terrorism based on “motivations behind such acts.”
“In the past two years, several member states, driven by their political, religious and other motivations, have been trying to label terrorism into categories such as racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism, violent nationalism, right wing extremism among others. This tendency is dangerous for several reasons,” he said.
Tirumurti noted that such a tendency goes against some of the accepted principles agreed to by all UN member states in the recently adopted Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which clearly states that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations should be condemned and there cannot be any justification for any act of terrorism, whatsoever.
“This will take us back to the pre 9/11 era of labelling terrorists as “your terrorists” and “my terrorists” and erase the collective gains we have made over the last two decades.
“The Council should be on guard against new terminologies and false priorities that can dilute our focus,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
India also pointed out that such phobia is no longer limited to the three Abrhamic religions.
“The UN has highlighted some of them over the years, namely, those based on Islamophobia, Christianophobia and antisemitism – the three Abrahamic religions. These three find mention in the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. But new phobias, hatred or bias against other major religions of the world need to also be fully recognised,” India’s permanent representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said. He was speaking at the International Counter Terrorism Conference 2022 organised by the Global Counter Terrorism Council.
The emergence of anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias “is a matter of serious concern and needs attention of the UN and all member states. It is only then can we bring greater balance into our discussion on such topics,” Tirumurti said.
He also warned against categorising terrorism based on “motivations behind such acts.”
“In the past two years, several member states, driven by their political, religious and other motivations, have been trying to label terrorism into categories such as racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism, violent nationalism, right wing extremism among others. This tendency is dangerous for several reasons,” he said.
Tirumurti noted that such a tendency goes against some of the accepted principles agreed to by all UN member states in the recently adopted Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, which clearly states that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations should be condemned and there cannot be any justification for any act of terrorism, whatsoever.
“This will take us back to the pre 9/11 era of labelling terrorists as “your terrorists” and “my terrorists” and erase the collective gains we have made over the last two decades.
“The Council should be on guard against new terminologies and false priorities that can dilute our focus,” he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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