At UN, India raises Kabul Gurdwara attack; envoy Tirumurti says combat 'religiophobias'

In a strongly-worded statement at the United Nations General Assembly, India's Ambassador to United Nations TSTirumurti has asked the world to "condemn hatred against non-Abrahamic religions as well" and "stop from being selective in combating religiophobias".

The strong statement comes in the back of the Islamic State terror attack on Karte Parwan Gurdwara in Kabul that killed twopeople, including one Afghan Sikh. This is the thirdmajor attack by Islamic State on Sikhs in the country in the last few years.

The Indian envoy said that the attack is "yet another tragic example" of hate "against Sikh religion" as the hoy place was "attacked, desecrated and damaged". Condemning the attack, he emphasised that "there cannot be double standards on religiophobias if you truly want to combat hate."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

He was addressing the assembly's informal High-Level Meeting to mark the commemoration of the first International Day for Countering Hate Speech.

At the multilateral organisation, attempts have been seen, usually by Pakistan to strongly raise the issue of Islamophobia but have been silent about discrimination against other religions, even its dwindling minorities.

The Indian envoy during his speech on Monday explained that "India has time and again emphasised that combating religiophobia can never succeed if it continues to be exclusionary and remains restricted to one or two religions only" while "completely ignoring the rise in hatred and discrimination against non-Abrahamic religions including Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism."

He also slammed the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, pointing out how "every one of the world’s major religions has a home in India" which makes it a "nation of unparalleled diversity". Highlighting how the country "over centuries, provided refuge to all, whether Zorastrians or the Jewish community or Tibetan Buddhists or many from our own neighbourhood" and "through embracing both democracy and pluralism, India has promoted a culture of tolerance and respect for all religions and cultures – under our overarching constitutional framework."

OIC, mostly at the behest of Islamabad has been quick to react to India's internal developments. He said, "Aberrations are dealt with within our legal framework and we reject selective outrage from outside, especially when they are motivated and pursuing a divisive agenda just as we heard today references against India by OIC."

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.