Context:
India abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution addressing Islamophobia, citing concerns over the broader issue of “religiophobia” targeting Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and other faiths. The resolution, introduced by Pakistan and co-sponsored by China on the International Day to Combat Islamophobia, prompted India’s abstention from the vote.
Relevance:
GS II: International Relations
Dimensions of the Article:
- United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
- Religiophobia
- UN Resolution on Measures to Combat Islamophobia
- India’s Stand on the Resolution
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA)
- The UNGA, established in 1945 under the UN Charter, is headquartered in New York City.
- It is one of the six principal organs of the UN, serving as the primary policy-making body.
- The UNGA provides a global platform for discussing a wide range of international issues outlined in the UN Charter.
- All 193 UN Member States possess an equal vote in the UNGA.
- The UN Charter (Chapter IV, article 20) allows the General Assembly to convene special sessions as needed.
- These sessions are called by the Secretary-General at the request of either the Security Council or a majority of UN Member States.
Emergency Special Sessions of UNGA
- An emergency special session is an unscheduled UNGA meeting to provide urgent recommendations on a specific issue.
- The UN Charter allows the UNGA to hold an emergency special session within 24 hours of the request, even if it’s not in regular session.
- Procedures for calling such sessions are outlined in the General Assembly’s Rules of Procedure.
- Emergency special sessions are initiated by the Security Council with seven member votes or by a majority of UN Members.
- Since 1950, there have been only 11 emergency special sessions held.
- Implications
- Resolutions from these sessions are not legally binding but carry political significance as they represent the collective will of the entire UN membership, reflecting global opinion on crises.
Religiophobia
- Definition: Religiophobia denotes an irrational or obsessive fear or anxiety related to religion, religious faith, religious people, or religious organizations.
- Recognition by UN Counter-Terrorism Strategy: The global counter-terrorism strategy of the United Nations acknowledges various types of religiophobia, such as Islamophobia, Christianophobia, and anti-Semitism.
- Emergence of Contemporary Forms: Analysts have begun discussing the necessity of recognizing new phobias, hatred, or bias against major religions worldwide. There’s concern over the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, notably anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist, and anti-Sikh phobias.
International Day to Combat Islamophobia
- Initiative: In 2022, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution, proposed by Pakistan on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to declare March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.
- The resolution, adopted by consensus, was supported by 57 OIC members and eight other countries, including China and Russia.
- Background: The resolution was prompted by the 2019 attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand.
UN Resolution on Measures to Combat Islamophobia
- Adoption: The UN General Assembly, with its 193 member states, adopted the resolution titled ‘Measures to combat Islamophobia’, introduced by Pakistan.
- 115 nations voted in favor, with none against and 44 abstentions, including countries like India, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine, and the UK.
Content of Resolution:
- Criticism of unfair treatment, aggression, or violence towards Muslims, including disrespect towards their holy book, attacks on mosques, sites, shrines, and other acts of religious intolerance, negative labeling, hate, and violence against Muslims.
- Calls for concerted action to combat ongoing violence against Muslims.
- Requests the UN Secretary-General to appoint a special envoy to combat Islamophobia.
India’s Stand on the Resolution
Acknowledgement of Other Forms of Religiophobia
- India asserted the need to acknowledge other forms of religiophobia targeting Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and other faiths, facing violence and discrimination, rather than singling out just one religion.
- India emphasized that such phobias extend beyond Abrahamic religions, and it’s crucial to recognize them.
Highlighting Incidents of Religiophobia
- The Indian representative at the UN noted that Hinduism has over 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism over 535 million, and Sikhism over 30 million, all subject to religiophobia.
- Contemporary forms of religiophobia are evident in increasing attacks on religious places like gurudwaras, monasteries, and temples, along with the spreading of hatred and disinformation against non-Abrahamic religions in various countries.
- Incidents such as the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, violations of gurudwara premises, massacres of Sikh pilgrims, attacks on temples, and glorification of breaking idols contribute to contemporary forms of religiophobia against non-Abrahamic religions.
Concerns about the UN Resolution
- India emphasized that passing the resolution should not set a precedent leading to multiple resolutions focused on fears linked to specific religions.
- There’s concern that such a move could divide the United Nations along religious lines.
- India called on all member states to consider the broader scope of religious discrimination globally.
- Allocating resources solely to combat Islamophobia, while neglecting similar challenges faced by other faiths, might perpetuate a sense of exclusion and inequality.
-Source: The Hindu
