India has strongly criticized Pakistan for mentioning Ram Temple in the United Nations General Assembly yesterday. During this period, a lesson was also taught regarding Islamophobia.
The representative of India told Pakistan that instead of just one religion, the prevalence of religious fear against Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and other religions facing violence and discrimination should also be acknowledged.
During this time, when Pakistan’s envoy mentioned the Ram temple located in Ayodhya, India expressed strong objection.
On Friday, the 193-member General Assembly approved the resolution ‘Measures to combat Islamophobia’ introduced by Pakistan. 115 countries voted in favor of the resolution, none opposed and 44 countries including India, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Ukraine and Britain abstained.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj condemned all acts motivated by anti-Semitism, ‘Christophobia’ and Islamophobia (prejudice against Islam). He said it is important to acknowledge that this kind of ‘phobia’ (prejudice) extends beyond the Abrahamic religions.
“Clear evidence shows that for decades, followers of non-Abrahamic religions have also been affected by religious prejudice,” he said in clarification of India’s position on the resolution. “This has led to the rise of contemporary forms of religious prejudice, particularly anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh.”
“The issue of Islamophobia is undoubtedly important, but we must acknowledge that other religions are also facing discrimination and violence,” Kamboj said. “Allocating resources solely to combat Islamophobia while ignoring the similar challenges faced by other religions may inadvertently perpetuate a sense of exclusion and inequality.”
He said, “It is important to acknowledge that Hinduism, with more than 1.2 billion followers worldwide, Buddhism, with more than 535 million followers, and Sikhism, with more than 30 million followers, all face the challenge of religious prejudice. “It is time we acknowledged the pervasiveness of religious prejudice against all religions rather than just one.”
During this, Pakistan’s ambassador Munir Akram also mentioned the consecration ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya and the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
Objecting to this, Kamboj said, “It is really unfortunate to be faced with the limited and misguided view of this (Pakistani) delegation on matters related to my country. (The delegation) raised this issue in the General Assembly especially at a time when it was considering a matter in which all members were expected to present an informed, in-depth and global perspective. “Maybe the delegation has not mastered it.”