Complex position on Islamophobia

(Mains GS 1 & 2 : Social empowerment, communalism, regionalism & secularism & Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.)

Context:

• Recently, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a consensus Resolution declaring March 15 annually as the ‘International Day to Combat Islamophobia’.

Understanding islamophobia:

• Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism.
• The scope and precise definition of the term Islamophobia is the subject of debate. Some scholars consider it to be a form of xenophobia or racism, some consider Islamophobia and racism to be closely related or partially overlapping phenomena, while others dispute any relationship; primarily on the grounds that religion is not a race.
• Muslims worldwide complain about negative stereotyping of their faith which has got exacerbated since the al Qaeda’s 9/11 terrorist attacks and other instances of terrorist violence undertaken by Islamist groups.

India’s stand:

• India’s Permanent Representative T.S. Tirumuti criticized the resolution and exercised his right to explain India’s stand and stated that “it is time that we acknowledged the prevalence of religiophobia, rather than single out just one”  as ‘phobias’ are not just against Abrahamic faiths but also against non-Abrahamic religions.
• Ambassador Tirumurti expressed deep concerns on the rise of incidents linked to discrimination, intolerance and violence directed against the people of many religious communities across the world.
• He said as a pluralistic and democratic country, India has welcomed people from around the world, including Zoroastrians, Buddhists, and Jews, persecuted for their faith or belief.
• Pointing out the attacks on temples, gurudwaras and monasteries etc. he said the destruction of Bamyan Buddha, violation of gurudwara premises, the massacre of Sikh pilgrims in gurudwara, attack on temples, glorification of breaking of idols in temples etc. contribute to the rise of religiophobia against non-Abrahamic religions.

World as One Family:

• Mr.Tirumurti pointed towards the fact that there is already an International Day commemorating the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief, i.e. August 22.
• He said, “We are not convinced that we need to elevate phobia against one religion to the level of an international day; rather we need to always be inclusive, especially in the United Nations.”
• He hoped the resolution adopted by the UN would not set a precedent that would lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions that would divide the world further instead of bringing the nations together on one platform of peace and harmony and treating the World as One Family.

EU’s opposition:

• Like India, the EU’s opposition to the Resolution stemmed from “singling out a particular confession”, but its philosophical underpinnings were different.
• The EU placed its focus on individual rights and freedoms and not on protection of religions per se; thus, its emphasis was on the rights of non-believers.
• The gulf between the EU and the OIC on the ambit of the freedom of expression is long standing and will not be easily bridged as the EU’s views on an individual’s right to change religion may not coincide with the view of traditional Islam which does not accept apostasy.

Conclusion:

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of India’s polity and society and the path of progress he aspires to lies in “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayas” which shows the existence and prevalence of pluralism.
•  Thus, it is not only islamophobia rather religiophobia that needs to be combated all around the world so that people will not be persecuted for their faith or belief.