Spirit of human fraternity enjoins us to combat hate against all religions: India at UN

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador TS Tirumurti says the emergence of contemporary forms of religiophobia is a matter of serious concern and needs the attention of the UN to address this threat

Photo for representation only. iStock

PTI

United Nations, February 5

India has urged the international community to jointly combat violence against all religions, including Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism, as it recalled that the shattering of the iconic Bamiyan Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban stands as a testimony to what hate against other religions can do.

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador TS Tirumurti said 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 to address this threat.

He spoke at a special virtual event on Friday on the occasion of the International Day of Human Fraternity organised by the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates to the UN.

“The spirit of human fraternity also enjoins us to combat hate and violence not just against Abrahamic religions but combat hate and violence against all religions, including Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The shattering of the iconic Bamiyan Buddhas, to name one tragic event, stands as a testimony to what hate against other religions can do,” he said.

The Taliban had destroyed the 6th-century sandstone statues of Buddha at Bamiyan in 2001. Former Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar had ordered the use of tanks and artillery to bombard and dynamite the huge statues carved in enormous mountain niches.

India has been consistently underlining that the trend of highlighting certain religious phobias has of late become prominent.