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UN report says religious
extremism in India: Reuters

A United Nations investigator called religious extremism "an ever-growing scourge" and said this was epitomised by Afghanistan, whose Taliban rulers had "taken an entire society hostage."

"Once again, the situation with regard to intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief is alarming," wrote Abdelfattah Amor, a special reporter of the UN Human Rights Commission.

Amor, a Tunisian appointed to the post in 1993, has to examine and recommend remedies for incidents inconsistent with the 1981 UN Declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief.

His report, circulated on Thursday, was based on 39 communications he sent to 25 countries.

Amor said extremism was also manifested with varying intensities in Egypt, Georgia, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka, "always through non-state entities, but in diverse forms and modalities with different goals."

"Several communications transmitted in the framework of this report cite an ever-growing scourge, namely religious extremism, whose primary victims are vulnerable groups, such as women and minorities," he wrote.

"The case that epitomises this is that of Afghanistan, where the Taliban, in the name of their own interpretation of Islam, but in reality using religion as a political tool in the interests of power, have taken an entire society hostage," Amor said.

"This attempt at enslavement mainly affects women, who are relegated to a pariah status and therefore afflicted by social, economic and cultural exclusion," he added.

"Also specifically targeted by Taliban extremism are religious minorities and, of course, non-Muslim communities, whose religious identity is directly threatened by a policy of forced conversion to Islam."

"Clearly, despite the goodwill of many states, it remains very difficult to contain and combat religious extremism. The active contribution of the international community outside and the civil society within remains crucial in this regard," the report stated.

Amor said he considered it essential that the UN General Assembly should, like the UN Human Rights Commission, "devote the fullest attention to religious extremism."

"States and the international community must condemn that phenomenon unequivocally and combat it relentlessly, to preserve the human rights to peace," he said.

Emphasising the urgency of prevention, he encouraged all states, inter-governmental organisations, the main religions, other religious or spiritual communities, and non-governmental bodies to contribute to a conference, to be held in Madrid in November next year, on school education in relation to freedom of religion, tolerance and non-discrimination.

The conference will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of discrimination based on religion or belief.

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