On March 15, the United Nations General Assembly took a step forward in the battle against Islamophobia by adopting a resolution calling for the designation of a special envoy of the Secretary-General to combat this scourge.
Proposed by Pakistan, the text, called “Measures to combat Islamophobia”, obtained a majority with 115 votes in favour, and no votes against, but saw significant abstention from 44 countries, including all the members of the European Union.
The resolution calls on UN member states to adopt concrete measures, including laws and policies, to eliminate religious intolerance and violence targeting Muslims. It follows an overall increase in Islamophobic acts, including desecration of holy books and attacks on mosques.
The unified position of the EU countries, which abstained, was observed by the Belgian attempt to broaden the framework of the resolution to include all forms of religious discrimination. This amendment, like that of the United Kingdom which proposed to designate a “focal point” rather than a “UN special envoy”, was denied.
In addition to the EU, other nations such as Canada, Ukraine, India, and several countries in South America and the Caucasus have also preferred to abstain. In contrast, Russia, the United States and a majority of Islamic countries voted in favour of the resolution, which, although non-binding, marks an essential step in recognizing and combating Islamophobia in the world. global scale.
Israel’s non-participation in the vote highlights continuing divisions over issues of religious tolerance and discrimination.
This resolution, despite the differences of opinion and the abstention of some members, reaffirms the dedication of the international community to fight Islamophobia and promotes a message of unity against hatred and intolerance.
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