The State of Qatar affirmed Thursday its firm principled position that supports bolstering the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence, and its keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and understanding, expressing its strong condemnation and denunciation of all practices and actions that work to plant the seeds of strife and division among societies, and fuel feelings of hostility, violence and discrimination among human beings, regardless of their forms or motives.
This came in the State of Qatar's statement delivered by Third Secretary of the Permanent Delegation of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Sheikh Sultan bin Khalid Al-Thani during an interactive dialogue, the 54th Regular Session of Human Rights Council, on the oral update on the drivers root causes and human rights impacts of religious hatred constituting incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
The statement noted that despite the existence of many international human rights instruments that emphasize the principle of equality and the prevention of discrimination, most notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which this year celebrates the 75th anniversary of its adoption, practices related to discrimination based on religion and hate speech, and practices of disdain for religious symbols and sanctities, still exist, and are even spreading, in different forms and patterns. These practices spread sometimes through direct practices such as burning holy books, and at other times through policies and restrictions that limit religious freedom to wear clothing, especially for women and girls in schools, demonstrating the need to take stronger measures to operationalize the principles and rules in these instruments to become a reality, the statement added.
The statement expressed the State of Qatar's deep concern and dissatisfaction with the continued practices of burning copies of the Holy Quran, even after the issuance of the Council's decision, one of the outcomes of which is currently being discussed.
While the State of Qatar praises the measures taken by some countries to confront these repulsive acts, including the response of the Danish government and its announcement of submitting a draft law to Parliament to ban the burning of the Holy Quran, it looks forward to similar steps from the governments of countries that have witnessed similar incidents, in a way that contributes to stopping these practices that fuel hatred and incite violence and discrimination among individuals and communities, the statement added.
The statement stressed that any form of condoning hate speech, or any attempt to justify it under the pretext of protecting the right to freedom of opinion and expression, democratic values, or any other arguments, is unacceptable, and will encourage its repetition and exacerbate its repercussions because freedom of expression and civilized values do not mean disdaining the beliefs and sanctities of others, violating their rights, or inciting feelings of hostility, hatred and violence against them.
The statement also stressed that peace, societal security, and peaceful coexistence can only be achieved within a framework of mutual respect for religious diversity, and that strengthening dialogue among religions, cultures, and civilizations is necessary and indispensable for creating a world in which all people, regardless of their religion, color or ethnic origin can live in safety and security, without fear of persecution, exclusion, or discrimination.