UNB, Dhaka :
Many people are facing violations of freedom of religion or belief in ways going unnoticed by the international community, United Nations Human Rights expert Heiner Bielefeldt has told the UN General Assembly.
Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, noted that at present much of the world’s focus was on the use of criminal law in areas such as blasphemy, apostasy and proselytism, according to a message received here on Saturday.
He also noted that many other means were being used to harass individuals and communities, in what he described as an “increasingly challenging environment for security and freedoms”.
For example, he said, some people suffered the imposition of burdensome bureaucracy and administrative requirements.
Others were faced with discriminatory structures in family laws and education, or found that States were creating inequality and stigmatization in other ways.
Bielefeldt presented a report to the UN General Assembly setting out the scale of the problem and the root causes.
In some cases, he concluded, the violations were triggered by intolerant interpretations of religions or beliefs.
Other causes included the exercise of political control, the incompetence of failing and failed States, and imbalances in social power.
“Religious intolerance does not directly originate from religions themselves,” said Bielefeldt.
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in some cases, intolerant interpretations of a religion and activity, indulging hate crimes or other violence committed in the name of religion, are even actively supported and encouraged by the government.
“Often, authoritarian governments are obsessed with controlling all types of religious activities, on the pretext of promoting harmonious relationships between the political party and the people,” he said.
The violations being witnessed around the world, Mr. Bielefeldt said, were being driven by states, non-state actors, or a combination of the two.
In countries with dysfunctional political and legal systems, the Special Rapporteur said, the vacuum was typically filled by criminal organizations, vigilantes and terrorist groups, resulting in the violation of many human rights including those of freedom of religion or belief.
Many people are facing violations of freedom of religion or belief in ways going unnoticed by the international community, United Nations Human Rights expert Heiner Bielefeldt has told the UN General Assembly.
Bielefeldt, the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, noted that at present much of the world’s focus was on the use of criminal law in areas such as blasphemy, apostasy and proselytism, according to a message received here on Saturday.
He also noted that many other means were being used to harass individuals and communities, in what he described as an “increasingly challenging environment for security and freedoms”.
For example, he said, some people suffered the imposition of burdensome bureaucracy and administrative requirements.
Others were faced with discriminatory structures in family laws and education, or found that States were creating inequality and stigmatization in other ways.
Bielefeldt presented a report to the UN General Assembly setting out the scale of the problem and the root causes.
In some cases, he concluded, the violations were triggered by intolerant interpretations of religions or beliefs.
Other causes included the exercise of political control, the incompetence of failing and failed States, and imbalances in social power.
“Religious intolerance does not directly originate from religions themselves,” said Bielefeldt.
The Special Rapporteur noted that, in some cases, intolerant interpretations of a religion and activity, indulging hate crimes or other violence committed in the name of religion, are even actively supported and encouraged by the government.
“Often, authoritarian governments are obsessed with controlling all types of religious activities, on the pretext of promoting harmonious relationships between the political party and the people,” he said.
The violations being witnessed around the world, Mr. Bielefeldt said, were being driven by states, non-state actors, or a combination of the two.
In countries with dysfunctional political and legal systems, the Special Rapporteur said, the vacuum was typically filled by criminal organizations, vigilantes and terrorist groups, resulting in the violation of many human rights including those of freedom of religion or belief.
