New Delhi:As UNGA adopted a Pakistan sponsored Resolution on Islamophobia on the behest of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), India urged the world body to also recognize atrocities being committed against other religions.
India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti addressing before an OIC-sponsored vote on the 'International Day of Islamophobia at UN said "India is proud that pluralism is at the core of our existence and we firmly believe in equal protection and promotion of all religions and faith".
The resolution was backed by 57 members of OIC and eight other countries, including China and Russia.
Condemning all acts targeting any religion, the Indian envoy in its statement underscored that "We condemn all acts motivated by anti-semitism, Christianophobia or Islamophobia. However, such phobias are not restricted to Abrahamic religions only. In fact, there is clear evidence that such religiophobias have affected the followers of non-Abrahamic religions as well".
Urging the world body to broaden its perspective on the issue of "Islamophobia", the Indian envoy said that it is "unfortunate that word ‘pluralism’ finds no mention in the resolution and the sponsors have not found it fit to take on board our amendments to include the word “pluralism” in the text for reasons best known to them".
Apart from India, France and the European Union also expressed reservations on this resolution saying that while religious intolerance was prevalent all over the world, the resolution singled out only Islam and excluded others.
Reminding the world body of the atrocities committed against other religions, the envoy cited examples such as the "destruction of Bamyan Buddha, violation of gurudwara premises, massacre of Sikh pilgrims in gurudwara, attack on temples, glorification of breaking of idols in temples etc", the statement highlighted that there was a rise in 'contemporary forms of religiophobia' against non-Abrahamic religions.