In a rare moment of international accord, dozens of nations attending a debate at the U.N. Human Rights Council on the alarming rise of religious hatred condemned the lack of tolerance for the beliefs of others, which they said has led to the incitement of discrimination, hostility and violence.
The debate was triggered by the June 28 burning of a Quran by an Iraqi refugee outside a mosque in Stockholm, Sweden. The act, which coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, was widely condemned by Islamic and other nations around the world.
“These and other incidents appear to have been manufactured to express contempt and inflame anger; to drive wedges between people; and to provoke transforming differences of perspective into hatred and, perhaps, violence,” said Volker Türk, U.N. high commissioner for human rights, who kicked off the debate with an impassioned plea to people of all beliefs to “act with respect for others.”
He said, “Only in this way can we have conduct among human beings that enables us to address together, the challenges we face.”
And those challenges, he noted, were many, adding that provocative speech can often incite discriminatory violence.
“In recent years,” the human rights high commissioner said, “numerous acts of violence, terror attacks and mass atrocities have targeted people on account of their religious beliefs, including inside their places of worship.”
He noted that freedom of speech was a fundamental human right and limitation of any kind of speech or expression must “remain an exception — particularly since laws limiting speech are often misused by those in power, including to stifle debate on critical issues.”
While enjoining people to guard against the misuse of free speech, he said every state must prohibit the “advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility.”
Nazila Ghanea, special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief on behalf of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures, agreed that religious beliefs or their followers should not be used to incite hatred and violence, “for example for electoral purposes or political gains.”
She cited acts that intentionally are aimed at stirring up hatred or cause hurt and foster inter-religious and political tensions “such as some recent instances of the public burning of the holy Quran or desecration of places of worship.”
She said, “We stand against those who willfully exploit tensions or target individuals based on their religion or belief.”
The high commissioner and special rapporteur tapped into a vein of raw anger that was on display as each of nearly 80 people who participated in the debate took the floor to speak.
The debate was convened at the request of Pakistan on behalf of several members of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation.
In a video statement to the gathering, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s foreign minister, condemned the “deliberate desecration of the holy Quran … which is a spiritual anchor for 2 billion Muslims. It is inseparable from their sense of identity and dignity.”
He called for those behind the acts of desecration to be held accountable. He said he believed in the fundamental right of free speech and noted that “free speech is as indispensable as hate speech should be indefensible.”
Other speakers, such as Retno L.P. Marsudi, Indonesia’s minister of foreign affairs echoed those sentiments. She strongly condemned the burnings of the Quran in some countries, including in Sweden and said, “These provocations deeply insult Muslims around the world.”
She added that “freedom of expression does not mean freedom to discriminate and hurt others.”
Rashad Hussein, U.S. ambassador at large for international religious freedom, reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to combat intolerance based on religion or belief. However, he cautioned against states attempting to ban freedom of expression in their zeal to prohibit hate speech because that “often serves as a catalyst for further hatred.”
He said, “These real dynamics are also part of the reason why the United States strongly opposes blasphemy laws and other laws that purport to criminalize speech,” noting that “such laws also fail to address the underlying causes of bigotry.”
A draft resolution presented to the council condemns and strongly rejects “the recent public and premeditated acts of desecration of the Holy Quron” and calls for holding “those responsible to account.”
The resolution requests the High Commissioner to present an oral update at its 54th session in September-October “on the various drivers, root causes, and human rights impacts of religious hatred” that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”
