'There Cannot Be Double Standards On Religiophobia': India On Hate Speech At UN
T S Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated on Friday that India has been the largest victim of terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism.
New Delhi: There should be no "double standards" when it comes to religiophobia, and combatting it should not be a "selective exercise" involving only one or two religions, but should also apply equally to fears against non-Abrahamic religions, India stated at the United Nations, news agency PTI reported.
T S Tirumurti, India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, stated on Friday that India has been the largest victim of terrorism, particularly cross-border terrorism.
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He urged countries to create an education system that actually contributes to the fight against terrorism by encouraging pluralism and democracy.
“As we have emphasised time and again, combating religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well. Till this is done, such international days will never achieve their objectives. There cannot be double standards on religiophobia,” he was quoted by PTI in its report.
Tirumurti was speaking at a high-level event titled "Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusiveness, non-discrimination, and peace" to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the International Day on Countering Hate Speech.
The harsh declaration came only hours before Saturday's bombings at the Gurdwara Karte Parwan in Kabul's Bagh-e Bala neighbourhood, which killed two people, including a Sikh, and injured seven others.
S Jaishankar, the External Affairs Minister, stated in a tweet that the "cowardly attack" on Gurdwara Karte Parwan should be denounced by everyone.
India has repeatedly urged for comprehensive worldwide measures to eradicate hate and violence, not only against Abrahamic religions but against all religions, including Sikhism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, notably at several UN venues.
Tirumurti has stated at the United Nations on several occasions that the rise in attacks on religious places of worship such as gurdwaras, monasteries, and temples, as well as the spread of hatred and misinformation against non-Abrahamic religions, are examples of contemporary forms of religiophobia.
Fundamentalists shattered the famed Bamiyan Buddha, a terrorist explosion of a Sikh gurdwara in Afghanistan murdered 25 Sikh worshipers in March 2020, and the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples have all been condemned by India.
“The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern and needs the attention of the UN and all Member States to address this threat. It is only then can we bring greater balance into our discussion on such topics,” Tirumurti had said earlier this year.
Tirumurti, speaking at a high-level event organised by Morocco's Permanent Mission and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and Responsibility to Protect on Friday, emphasised that India's multicultural edifice has made it a safe haven for all those seeking refuge in India, whether Jews, Zoroastrians, Tibetans, or people from its own neighbourhood, for centuries.
“It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time,” he said.
With this sense of history, India has continued to play a key role in combating radicalization and terrorism, as well as promoting tolerance and inclusiveness, according to Tirumurti.
“Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we do not need selective outrage from outsiders, especially when they are self-serving - even communal in nature, and pursuing a divisive agenda,” he said.
He emphasised the need of education in the fight against radicalization, violent extremism, and terrorism.
“India has been the greatest victim of terrorism, especially cross-border terrorism. We call on countries to develop an education system that truly contributes to combating them by promoting the principles of pluralism and democracy,” Tirumurti said.
He believes that the best defence against prejudice and hatred is to embrace democratic ideals, where checks and balances are in place and any deviation is dealt with within the constraints of the rule of law.
“A society based on pluralism, where every religion is respected, is a sine qua non of tolerance and harmony,” Tirumurti said, adding that pluralistic tradition is recognised in the resolution piloted by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt on the International Day of Human Fraternity.
“India has embraced both these principles - democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework,” the Indian envoy said.
India expressed concern about phobia against one religion being elevated to the level of an international day when the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia earlier this year, saying there are growing contemporary forms of religiophobia, particularly anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist, and anti-Sikh phobias.
Tirumurti had declared in the UN General Assembly, in response to the resolution's approval, that India hoped the resolution "does not create a precedent" that would lead to several resolutions on phobias based on chosen faiths and divide the UN into religious factions.
“Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism more than 30 million spread out around the world. It is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one,” he had said.
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