15th June 2011, Geneva; The Maldives delegation to the 17th Session of the Human Rights Council today welcomed renewed UN action to combat the global problem of Islamophobia under the framework provided by UN Resolution 16/18. Resolution 16/18 was cosponsored by the Maldives during the 16th Session of the Council. "Islamophobia and other forms of intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of persons based on religion or belief is one of the most pressing human rights concerns of our time" noted H.E. Ambassador Iruthisham Adam. "The problem is not new but has reached new heights in our globalized world where ideas and information, whether good or bad, move from one country to the next, and one individual to the next, with startling ease. This, together with the fall-out from 9/11 and the War and Terror, have led to a situation where Muslims around the world face daily intolerance and discrimination".
Speaking following presentations by a panel of experts on religious intolerance, stereotyping and stigmatization, Ambassador Adam said that Resolution 16/18 offers an excellent platform for addressing these challenges. "It provides a comprehensive framework for action including awareness-raising and education, legislative steps and administrative measures. Most importantly, it was adopted by consensus. Only by working together, by taking action individually and collectively, can States hope to build a world where people of all faiths and religions live side-by-side in an atmosphere of mutual tolerance, understanding and good-will".
"This last point - the importance of all States working individually as well as collectively - is, we think, key. In the context of tackling Islamophobia, this means that the Maldives does expect countries, especially in the West, which are faced with problems stemming from societal intolerance and vilification of Muslim minorities, to take real and robust action in line with Resolution 16/18. But it also means that we in the Maldives, and in the wider Islamic world, must be willing to also take steps to promote a better understanding of our religion and what it stands for, and to promote dialogue with people of other faiths".
"All States have a responsibility to take robust action, including legal action, against those who advocate violence in the name of religion. Yet it is also important to defeat such people in the battle of ideas. For example, in the Maldives, we are working, in our new democracy, to counter act the false perception that people must make the false choice between devotion to Islam on the one hand, and the full enjoyment of human rights on the other".
"None of this is easy, for the simple reason that the Maldives does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, we are buffeted by global winds. This is why, in response to the numerous UPR recommendations we received on matters of religious tolerance, the Maldives recently announced its intention to organize, during 2012, a major international conference on progressive Sharia jurisprudence and human rights. With this conference we hope to revive the concepts of peace and tolerance, co-existence and inter-faith harmony that exist in Islam".
ENDS.
