Western diplomats oppose a UN resolution on religious intolerance after a Quran burning, sparking a debate between religious hatred and human rights protections
A demonstrator burns the Koran outside Stockholm's central mosque in Stockholm on Eid holiday last month. / Photo: Reuters
The Human Rights Council is set to debate a contentious draft proposal on religious hatred in the wake of a Quran burning in Sweden, an initiative that has highlighted rifts in the UN body and challenged practices in human rights protection. In a draft resolution presented by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the group described the burning of the Quran in Stockholm last month as"offensive, disrespectful and a clear act of provocation" that incites hatred and constitutes a human rights violation.
The draft — which condemned"recurring acts of public burning of the Holy Quran in some European and other countries" — has stoked opposition from Western diplomats who argue it aims to safeguard religious symbols rather than human rights. "We don't like the text," one Western diplomat said of the draft, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.The OIC initiative also stokes tensions between Western states and the Islamic organisation at a time when the group has unprecedented clout in the council, the only body made up of governments to protect human rights worldwide.
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