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The B’nai Brith Canada Institute for International Affairs has a mandate to protest the abuse of human rights throughout the world and advocate on behalf of worldwide Jewish communities in distress. The Institute has a special focus on pro-Israel advocacy and education. |
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Rochelle Wilner |
Frank Dimant |
Amos Sochaczevski |
Ruth Klein |
At this year’s Commission, there will be considerable focus under Agenda item 21 on “Comprehensive implementation of and follow-up to the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action”. There will also be extensive discussion on specific national and international implementation of this Declaration and Programme under Agenda item 6 on “Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and all forms of discrimination”.
The Canadian Government indicated, through the efforts of its delegation at the September 2001 World Conference Against Racism, that it had misgivings about the Durban process, the proceedings, declarations and eventual outcome. The manipulation of the UN World Conference Against Racism — and the NGO Forum against Racism that preceded it — has been well documented, including the systemic abuses that took place amidst a highly politicized anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda that took valuable time and resources away from many egregious examples of racism worldwide.xxix Canada did not support last year’s UNCHR Resolution on Racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, which has the Durban process at its core.xxx B’nai Brith Canada welcomes the stated commitment of members of the Canadian delegation to the UNCHR that they will continue to work to ensure that the Commission’s treatment of contentious issues does not mirror what transpired at Durban.
In the aftermath of 9/11, many religious and ethnic minorities faced an increase in harassment. In Canada, for example, Sikh and Hindu temples, as well as Islamic mosques, were targeted in the initial backlash following 9/11. There was a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents, but in the case of antisemitism, the pace has not diminished but has rather intensified. This can be seen in the 459 documented incidents in 2002, which reflected a 60.48% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to the previous year, including physical violence and attacks on synagogues.xxxi In fact, attacks on Jewish targets across the globe increased steadily in 2002, as seen most notably in the firebombing of synagogues in France, Tunisia and elsewhere, and physical attacks on individuals, including both the elderly and schoolchildren.xxxii
Religious and ethnic minorities are routinely harassed worldwide, their voices marginalized and their rights curtailed, including vulnerable groups under the rule of Commission member states. As just one example, anti-Christian discrimination and violence has been widely documented, particularly in certain countries in Africa and South East Asia.xxxiii There is a systematic campaign of defamation against Jewish religious beliefs and practices throughout the Arab world. In certain Muslim countries, religious minorities must be officially recognized in order to receive what amounts to second class citizenship. Non-recognized religions, such as the Baha’i in Iran, face ongoing persecution, while religious minorities in India, for example, have been targeted by waves of violence.
An example of the Commission’s one-sided response can be seen in a resolution — which Canada opposed — on “Combatting defamation of religions”. The wording, apart from a general reference to the “negative stereotyping of religions”, was specifically crafted to focus exclusively on protection of Muslims and Arabs The resolution expressed “deep concern that Islam was frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism” and “noted with concern the intensification of the campaign to defame Islam, its tenets and values and Muslim people, and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities…”xxxiv The Resolution did urge all states to “combat hatred, discrimination and violence motivated by religious intolerance, including attacks on religious places”. However, it selectively “strongly deplored physical attacks and assaults on businesses, cultural centres and places of worship of Muslims and Arabs in many parts of the world”, to the exclusion of all other vulnerable groups.xxxv
In addition, the Commission requested that the “Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” to examine “the situation of Muslim and Arab peoples in various parts of the world with special reference to physical assaults and attacks against their places of worship, cultural centres, businesses and properties in the aftermath of September 11 and to submit a preliminary study on his findings to the fifty-ninth session of the Commission”.xxxvi
Speaking for Canada, Marie Gervais-Vidricaire said that “her delegation was acutely aware that religious intolerance was a matter of great concern to all — in all areas of the world and for all people of the world. The promotion of the respect for diversity, cultural, linguistic, ethnic and religious, was an important element of the work of Canada in the promotion and protection of human rights. The Canadian delegation found troubling the degree to which questions of racism and the issue of religious intolerance were mixed in the resolution in such a way that did not promote a greater understanding of the relationship between the two issues, but instead unhelpfully confused them. The resolution did not adequately address issues of the links between diversity and the fight against racism. For all those reasons, Canada would vote against the resolution.”xxxvii
The report that was requested under this resolution will be considered this year under Agenda item 6. It notes inter alia a “widespread pattern of physical assaults and attacks against the property, places of worship and cultural centers of Muslim and Arab minorities and communities in many non-Muslim countries.”xxxviii The findings of this report, which exclude the negative experiences of every other minority, make it likely that the Commission will again be focused solely on this topic.
¤ Canada should sponsor the following amendments to the preambular paragraphs of any new resolution on “Combating defamation of religion”, to ensure that UNCHR puts all vulnerable religious communities under its protection:
Alarmed at the serious growth of instances of religious intolerance and acts of violence based on religion or belief that have occurred in recent years against members of various religious groups, including Christian denominations
Alarmed at the strong impact of the Middle East conflict throughout the world which has translated into a serious increase in acts of physical and rhetorical violence against Jews and Jewish institutions, not seen since the 1930’s
Emphasizing that States and the media under their control have an important role to play in the promotion of tolerance and protection of freedom of religion and belief
¤ Canada should sponsor the following amendments to the operational paragraphs of the resolution:
Expresses deep concern at the negative stereotyping of religions and the programmes pursued by extremist organizations and groups aimed at defamation of religions, in particular when supported by Governments
Requests the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to examine acts of religious intolerance throughout the world, with special reference to physical assaults and attacks against businesses, cultural centres and places of worship of Christians and Jews and other religious minorities in many parts of the world and to submit a preliminary report on his findings for consideration by the Commission at its next sessionxxxix
Table Of Contents
| Introduction
| The Need For Reform Of The UNCHR
| The UNCHR Agenda
| The Mandate of The Special Rapporteur
Canada’s Voting Record At The UNCHR
| Positions Of The Department Of Foreign Affairs
| Terrorism
| Racism And Racial Discrimination
Freedom Of Expression
| Conclusion
| Summary Of Recommendations
| Footnotes