Humanists host "Victims of Jihad" conference at UN

[Ian David]

HNN Special Edition
Humanist Network News
April 18, 2005
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Humanists host "Victims of Jihad" conference at UN

DUNCAN CRARY
Humanist Network News
April 18, 2005

Humanists from around the world assembled on behalf of the victims of Islamic extremism on Monday at the United Nations in Geneva.

Three international human rights groups hosted a one-day conference at the UN, on April 18, titled "Victims of Jihad: Human Rights Abuse in the Name of Islam."

The conference was not widely announced until the day it occurred. The event was co-sponsored by the International Humanist and Ethical Union (IHEU), a worldwide federation of 100 humanist, ethical culture and freethought groups, the Association for World Education, which works to promote human rights at the UN Educational Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Association of World Citizens, which works to promote human rights and strengthen international law at the UN and elsewhere.

Speakers included Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a member of the Dutch parliament, activist writer Taslima Nasrin and other scholars of Islam.

"Western society tends to turn a blind eye to the plight of European Muslim women and girls because 'Muslim culture is different.' Yet, in Europe, many women find themselves subject to domestic violence, undergo forced marriages or are even killed by family members because of some belief that they have tarnished the family honor," Ali said in her opening remarks. (HNN obtained a transcript of her remarks by email from the conference sponsors.)

Last year, Ali made a film critical of Islam with filmmaker Theo van Gogh. Islamic extremists murdered van Gogh in November, sticking a knife in his chest with a note threatening to kill Ali. She returned to Parliament after 75 days in hiding.

The one-day conference occurred during the last week of the 61st session of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. On April 12, the Commission on Human Rights passed a resolution at its meeting in Geneva that condemns the defamation of religion.

The resolution, titled "Combating Defamation of Religions," expresses "deep concern that Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism." The resolution (2005/L.12) passed by 31 votes to 16. (See PDF of resolution. *note: some formatting errors occurred when converting to PDF.)

Humanist organizations are protesting the resolution for failing to mention or condemn those who defame a religion by carrying out acts of violence in its name.

"The Islamic states would do well to practice tolerance and respect for diversity at home before preaching about it at the UN," said Roy Brown, president of the IHEU.

"It is no defamation of religion, it is rather the duty of this Commission, 'the conscience of the world,' to expose and condemn the abuse of human rights even when it is sanctified by religious belief or custom," Ali said. "Would this Commission, we wonder, have remained silent when millions of European Jews were being shipped off to the gas chambers because this was 'part of German culture?'"

In a joint statement released by the conference's sponsoring organizations, the groups also called attention "to the appalling systematic abuse of human rights inherent in the Indian caste system."

"Abuse of human rights is no less serious, nor can it be justified, simply because it is carried out in the name of a religion. But what sets such abuse apart is that, by claiming religious justification, the perpetrators create a major problem for all followers of a religion concerned, who then find themselves in the position of having either to reject the actions and deny the religious claims of the perpetrators, or be accused of condoning the abuse," the statement continued.

"Neither is it a defense to argue that those who carry out abuse in the name of Islam are not true Muslims. The fact is, many believe they are. To make the point more clearly, we would suggest that a jihadist who cries 'Allah Akbar' before blowing himself and others to smithereens truly believes that he is doing so in the name of Allah. He believes this because he has been taught by his religious leaders that 'death for the sake of Allah is the loftiest of wishes.' These jihadists are as much a threat to Muslims as they are to Christians or Jews and to the rest of the world."

The conference was held in four sessions, each examining one particular group of victims. The first session began with presentations of the concept of jihad in Islam, and the impact of this idea on the lives of ordinary Muslims. Next was a session on Dhimmis, the protected religious minorities living under Islamic law. The third session focused on the perils of being considered an apostate -- one who has lost his faith -- or a heretic in Islamic society. The final session focused on the abuse of women, and included speeches by Taslima Nasreen, recent UNESCO prize winner, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

"Human rights violations flourish when there is silence and indifference to the plight of the victims. By courageously standing up against extremism in the name of religion, these former victims of Islamic intolerance are lighting a beacon of hope for the millions who suffer in the darkness," said Matt Cherry, executive director of the Institute for Humanist Studies and president of the NGO Committee of Freedom on Religion or Belief at the UN in New York. Cherry also represents the IHEU at the United Nations in New York.

"There is a disturbing trend around the world of using the pretext of 'tolerance for religion' to outlaw criticism of religious beliefs and practices. Restricting the right to discuss and criticize religion is a violation of religious freedom. True tolerance means letting your critics speak, even if they offend your most cherished convictions," Cherry concluded.

For more information, visit: UN Human Rights Commission passes pro-Islamist resolution, (story by HNN, April 12, 2005).

Duncan Crary is the director of communications for the Institute for Humanist Studies, a nonprofit organization based in Albany, N.Y. that champions and defends humanist principles. Humanism is a secular philosophy that promotes human welfare through science, reason, creativity and compassion. Humanist Network News is a publication of the IHS.

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[NickofTime]

1. Jihad is Only Repelling the Enemy - Self-Defence!

The word 'jihad' is derived from the root 'jahd' or 'juhd' whose meaning is given by Imam Raghib as ability, exertion or power and 'jihad' and 'mujahida' mean the exerting of one's power in repelling the enemy.