“Religiophobia should not be a selective exercise involving only one or two religions but should apply equally to phobias against non-Abrahamic religions as well,” Indian Representative to the UN T S Tirumurti expressed sternly on Friday. Tirumurti was talking at the UN meeting of ambassadors to mark the first-ever International Day on Countering Hate Speech.

Speaking at the UN, T S Tirumurti said that there can’t be double standards on religiophobia, and till phobias against non-Abrahamic religions are not addressed, such international days will never their objectives.

In the global UN conference titled ‘Role of education to address the root causes of hate speech and advance inclusion, non-discrimination, and peace,’ Tirumurti highlighted that today, the greatest bulwark against intolerance and hatred is by embracing the principles of democracy, where there are necessary checks and balances and where any aberration is addressed within the confines of the rule of law.

Developing further on Pluralism, Tirumurti argued that a society based on pluralism, “where every religion is respected, is a sine qua non of tolerance and harmony,” he stated. “Pluralistic tradition is recognised in the resolution piloted by the UAE and Egypt on the International Day of Human Fraternity,” he added.

“India has embraced both these principles – democracy and pluralism. And we call on all countries to adhere to these principles to ensure that intolerance is addressed within a Constitutional framework,” the Ambassador stated. “India’s multi-cultural edifice,” Tirumurti argued,” has, over centuries, made it a safe haven for all those who seek refuge in India, whether the Jewish community or Zoroastrians or Tibetans or from our own neighbourhood.” 

“It is this underlying strength of our nation that has withstood radicalisation and terrorism over time. It is with this sense of history that India has continued to play a defining role to combat radicalisation and terrorism, and promote tolerance and inclusion,” Tirumurti added while representing India in the event organised by the Permanent Mission of Morocco and the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention.

Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic religions

Abrahamic religions include the religions that worship the God of Abraham, and it includes Judaism, Christianity and Islam and few other smaller religions. While these three are different religions, Prophet Abraham is mentioned extensively in the holy books of all three religion like Bible and Quran. Both Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammed are believed to be descendants of Abraham. Islam and Christianity, the two Abrahamic religions, are the largest religions in the world. Some smaller religions like Baha’i, Druze, Rastafarianism, and Samaritanism are also Abrahamic religions. All these religions are monotheistic and identify Abraham as a key figure in their history.

All other religions in the world are non-Abrahamic religions, which include the ancient religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. The non-Abrahamic religions include the Indian religions, Iranian religions and East Asian Religions.

Reiterating India’s stand at the UN on the Islamophobia resolution

On March 15, Ambassador TS Tirumurti, while talking about a resolution for an International Day to combat ‘Islamophobia’ said, “Religiophobias are not restricted to Abrahamic religions only. While India condemns all acts motivated by antisemitism, Christianophobia or Islamophobia, there is clear evidence that over decades such religion-centric phobias have, in fact, affected the followers of non-Abrahamic religions as well.”

Tirumurti argued that this has contributed to the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia – “especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias.” Ambassador Tirumurti said, “Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion followers, Buddhism more than 535 million and Sikhism had more than 30 million spread out around the world. It is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one.”

Call for recognition of hatred against Dharmic religions at the United Nations

In January 2022, Tirumurti TS Tirumurti pointed out how phobias against three Abrahamic religions, namely, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism was recognized by the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy but the emergence of religiophobia against Hindus, Buddhists, and Sikhs is not being fully recognized, at the global forum.

“The emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, anti-Buddhist and anti-Sikh phobias is a matter of serious concern and needs the attention of the UN and all Member States to address this threat,” The ambassador had argued while speaking at the International Counter-Terrorism Conference.

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