Calling attention to the “selectivity” of the United Nations in condemning acts of violence against religions, India has said that the UN General Assembly has failed to recognize the growing hatred and violence against Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism and stressed that the culture of peace cannot be only for the “Abrahamic” religions.
Addressing the UN General Assembly session on ‘Culture of Peace’ on Wednesday, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, Ashish Sharma, said there are “puzzling trends” in the world today. While India fully agrees that anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Christian acts should be condemned and the country also strongly condemns such acts, he noted that UN resolutions on such important issues only speak of these three Abrahamic religions together. “This august body does not recognize the rise in hatred and violence against Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism as well,” Sharma said.
“The culture of peace cannot be only for Abrahamic religions. And as long as such selectivity exists, the world can never truly foster a culture of peace, ”he said.
Stating that the UN is not a body that should take sides when it comes to religion, Sharma said that if “we are really selective”, the world will end up demonstrating the “clash of civilizations” of the American political scientist Samuel Huntington.
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“What we are trying to build here is an ‘alliance of civilizations’, not create a clash. I call on the UN Alliance of Civilizations to act in the same way and speak for everyone, not just a few, “he said.
Sharma recalled the destruction of the iconic Bamyan Buddha by fundamentalists in Afghanistan, as well as the terrorist bombing of a gurdwara in the war-torn country in March, where 25 Sikh worshipers were killed and the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples and the cleansing of minorities of these religions. by country. He told the 193-member General Assembly that such acts call for condemning violence and attacks against Buddhist, Hindu and Sikh religions as well.
“But the current member states refuse to talk about these religions at the same time as the first three ‘Abrahamic’ religions. Why is this selectivity? “he asked. Sharma noted that overall, Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism has more than 535 million followers, and Sikhism about 30 million followers worldwide.” It is time for the attacks against these religions will also be added to the above list of the three Abrahamic religions when such resolutions are passed, ”he said.
Key UN General Assembly resolutions over the years have categorically condemned and expressed concern at the rise of “anti-Semitism, Christianity and Islamophobia in various parts of the world.” However, violence against other religious minorities “receives little more than a slap on the wrist,” a sentiment shared by several other countries as well, sources said.
Sharma said at the General Assembly session that India is not only the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, but also the land where the teachings of Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism have put down strong roots and where the Sufi tradition of Islam has taken root. flourished.
“Today, every one of the world’s major religions has a home in India,” he said.
Sharma said that for millennia, India has provided refuge for waves of persecuted in foreign lands and allowed them to prosper in India. “And our tradition of intercultural dialogue dates back to the time when ancient Indian thinkers had a flourishing dialogue with ancient Greeks. India is not just a culture, but a civilization unto itself, “he added.
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Underlining that the culture of peace is the cornerstone of the foundation of a world order of peace and tolerance, he said that India has tried to foster this culture through tolerance, understanding, respect for differences, respect for other religions and cultures, respect for human rights, gender equality: all this under the general umbrella of pluralistic ethics and democratic principles.
India on Wednesday co-sponsored a resolution tabled by Bangladesh entitled “Follow-up to the Declaration and Program of Action on a Culture of Peace.”
The resolution reiterates that the objective of the effective implementation of the Program of Action is to further strengthen the global movement for a culture of peace. Invites member states to continue placing greater emphasis and expanding their activities to promote a culture of peace at the national, regional and international levels and to ensure that peace and non-violence are fostered at all levels.
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