UN Urges The World To Immediately Act To Stop Harassment Of Religious Symbols

PHOTOS OF ILLUSTRATION/DOCUMENTATION BETWEEN/SIGID KURNIAWAN

JAKARTA - UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Affairs, Turk, urged immediate action to stop the worldwide increasing harassment of religious places and symbols.

"The resolution of the Human Rights Council 53/1 noted with deep concern over the increasing incidence of blasphemy of places of worship and religious symbols around the world, and called for immediate action to address it," Turk told the council.

He said the burning of the Quran, which was carried out in public, had occurred in several countries since the Human Rights Council held an emergency meeting last July.

"I want to emphasize once again that I strongly oppose this disrespectful and offensive act, especially actions that clearly aim to provoke violence and trigger division," he said.

He stressed that these actions that have a profound impact on millions of people attack their religious identities and values.

To address this issue, Turk said the United Nations would facilitate the process of broadly negotiating with various countries and stakeholders.

I hope this process will ultimately provide a blueprint for countries to adopt legal frameworks and law enforcement as well as strong policies to fight religious hate spectra in line with international human rights laws and to act quickly to ensure accountability.

Turk also said he hopes to learn more about these issues in the next two sessions of the council.

"The gap in national policy and legal framework allows hatred and discrimination to be left alone," Turk said.

Membership countries can and must do more, he said, as the burning of the Al Quran and other incidents of religious hatred around the world show that fighting the root cause and trigger of hatred requires stronger efforts.

Turk menyebut beberapa upaya yang dapat dilakukan untuk mengatasi masalah itu, seperti penghapusan stereotipe yang merugikan, kampanye informasi publik yang merayakan keberagaman, serta sistem pendidikan yang inklusif dan nondiskriminatif.

Turk stressed overcoming religious hatred requires an agreement between members of society to work together to create a fair environment based on trust and respect.