UNITED NATIONS, Oct 24: Underscoring that defamation of Islam and discrimination against Muslims had become pervasive world over, Pakistan on Wednesday called on the United Nations to adopt a “Declaration on Religious and Cultural Understanding, Harmony and Cooperation.”

Addressing the UN General Assembly on “Elimination of Racism and, Racial Discrimination,” Pakistan’s Ambassador, Munir Akram, stressed that hate must be stamped out with the same zeal with which the fight against terrorism was being pursued.

“The defamation of Islam, and discrimination against Muslims, represents the most notable demonstration of contemporary racism and intolerance” he added.

Akram observed that the world conference on racism held at Durban, South Africa, recognized Islamophobia as a structural form of racism. Islamic peoples and communities were facing such manifestations of racism in many parts of the world.

“Those defaming a religion, through bigoted words or actions, desecrating religious sites and insulting revered religious personalities, should be denounced unequivocally. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, stereotyping, racial profiling, and hatemongering in all forms, shapes and manifestation must be opposed at the national and international level,” he said.

Pakistan’s chief delegate said that the recent proliferation of blasphemous remarks by certain religious leaders and other personalities attacking Islam and the Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him), were clear manifestations of religious bigotry and demagoguery.

He said: “Unfortunately, the voice of the usually vocal defenders of religions tolerance and non-discrimination — the United Nations, the human rights officials and mechanisms as well as liberal politicians — has been deafening in its silence.”

Saying that partly as a reaction, prejudice against the West has also risen at the popular level in a number of Muslim countries, he emphasized that the people of the world must not succumb to the conspiracies of those who desire to provoke a clash of civilizations and cultures.

Drawing the attention of the international community to the massacre of Muslims in Indian Gujarat, Akram deplored that there had been no accountability for the act of genocide against the Muslims of Gujarat.

“Instead, there was a cover-up by New Delhi. The Indian prime minister sought to blame Muslims for being troublemakers wherever they live in the world,” he said.

He said: “Since the national government is unwilling to prosecute the BJP officials, the Gujarat chief minister and others complicit in the Muslim slaughter, should be charged and tried by an international tribunal for the crime of genocide, under Genocide Convention, and for gross violations of other human rights instruments.”

“Unless such resolute action is taken by the international community, India’s Hindu fanatics will continue to wage their war of hate, violence, discrimination and elimination against the Muslims and other minorities.”

Akram noted that encouraged by the immunity it appears to enjoy from international criticism, Hindu fundamentalism — of which the caste system is but one manifestation — has been gaining strength, with alarming manifestations and implications for our region and for the world.

“The philosophy and practice of the Hindu extremist parties ruling in New Delhi — the BJP and its fascist allies, the VHP, the RSS, the Shiv Sena — call for institutionalized discrimination and suppression of non-Hindus — Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and others.”

He pointed out that since 1947, there had been 150,000 communal riots in India — 3,000 riots each year. And, the graph of Hindu violence is rising.

“In February this year, over 2,000 innocent Muslim men, women and children were killed mercilessly by mobs in Gujarat. Entire neighbourhoods were put to the torch. Women were systematically raped. Pregnant women killed in cold blood. Babies cut into pieces,” Akram said, adding “this pogrom was organized with the complicity of the Gujarat chief minister and his government.”