Thursday, Sep 27, 2012
Manama: Kuwait has urged the UN Human Rights Council to issue an international pledge to respect religions that will serve as a framework for international relations.
“Kuwait calls on the international community to exert further efforts to boost tolerance and the renunciation of radical thoughts,” Haidar Abul Hassan, the third secretary of the Kuwaiti permanent mission at the UN in Geneva said.
“The recently-produced movie, injurious to Prophet Mohammad [PBUH], is a stark example of incitement for hatred and rejection of the other. It does not serve our goal of building bridges of understanding between nations,” the Kuwaiti diplomat said, quoted by Kuwait News Agency (Kuna).
The international community should take all necessary measures to face any deed that may desecrate doctrines and religious symbols as they have a highly negative impact on security and stability in some of the world’s regions, he said.
“International laws on racial discrimination and hatred for foreigners stress the rejection of any act that targets religious beliefs.”
The diplomat said that Kuwaiti society fully rejected racial discrimination and hatred of foreigners. Kuwait as a nation was built on the pluralism of beliefs and views and on the peaceful co-existence well before the discovery of oil.
“Kuwait’s Constitution has several provisions that affirm the equality of people living in the country, without any discrimination on the basis of colour, origin or language. Citizens have equal rights and duties before the law,” he said.
The establishment of the World Moderation Centre is part of Kuwait’s robust drive to fight fanaticism and extremism and to promote tolerance and moderation, he said.
By Habib Toumi Bureau Chief
Gulf News 2012. All rights reserved.