GENEVA (AP) — The UN human rights chief used a special debate Tuesday on the Quran burnings in Sweden and other European countries to draw a fine line between freedom of expression and respect for religious beliefs, while expanding its call for respect for “all others”, including migrants, LGBTQI+ people and women and girls who wear the headscarf.
Volker Türk, speaking to the Human Rights Council, tackled the hatred and discrimination that fuel violence amid growing concerns over ‘manufactured’ manifestations of intolerance aimed at driving a wedge between civilizations. The recent Koran burnings have had far-reaching repercussions and have even weighed on Turkey’s thoughts on whether to admit Sweden into NATO.
The debate, which will take place during the Council’s summer session, was largely on the side of Western countries that condemned such intolerance but affirmed the right to freedom of expression, and predominantly Muslim countries who want governments to strengthen their legal arsenals to prohibit expressions of religious intolerance. and hatred that can lead to violence, discrimination or hostility.
“We would like to emphasize that freedom of expression is an ethical value that should spread to peaceful coexistence rather than cause a clash of civilizations,” said Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia, in a video statement. “We should spread values of tolerance.”
Türk slammed the Quran burnings in Europe among recent incidents which “seem to have been fabricated to express contempt and inflame anger, to drive wedges between people and cause differences in perspective to turn into hatred and perhaps violence”.
Beyond issues of legislation or government, he said people should show respect to “all others” and insisted that “advocacy of hatred that constitutes incitement to violence, discrimination and hostility should be prohibited in all states”.
Türk warned that hate speech of all kinds was on the rise, although it is not always seen as inciting violence.
“Dehumanizing women and denying their equality with men; verbally abusing Muslim women and girls who wear headscarves; making fun of people with disabilities; making false claims that migrants or people of specific ethnicities are more likely to commit crimes or smear LGBTQ+ people – all such hate speech is similar in that it stems from the basic notion according to which some people are less deserving of respect as human beings,” he said.
Pakistan and Palestine campaigned for a Council resolution which, among other things, called on countries to take action to “prevent and prosecute acts and advocacy of religious hatred that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence”.
The United States said it would not support the resolution, fearing it would violate a fundamental right to free speech.
“We know from experience that trying to ban such expression usually amplifies it further by drawing even more attention to it and often serves as a catalyst for more hate,” said Rashad Hussain, U.S. Ambassador at Large for the United States. international religious freedom, expressing U.S. opposition to so-called “blasphemy” laws.
“These laws also fail to address the underlying causes of bigotry,” he said, calling instead for efforts to “reinvigorate education and inter-religious intercultural dialogue to combat hate speech”.
A vote was expected Wednesday morning.