New Age Islam Special
Correspondent
23 January
2021
The United
Nations recently adopted a resolution titled "Promoting a culture of peace
and dialogue to safeguard religious sites". The resolution was presented
by Saudi Arabia on behalf of a number of Muslim majority countries. The
resolution aims to end sectarian hatred and violence and destruction of
religious sites resulting from it. The resolution called for "strengthened
international efforts to foster a global dialogue on the promotion of culture
of tolerance and peace at all levels based on respect for human rights and for
the diversity of religions and beliefs and such acts of violence against
persons on the basis of their religion and belief and such acts directed
against their places of worship as well as all attacks on and in religious
places, sites and shrines that are in violation of international law."
The
resolution also denounced any move to damage, demolish or convert any religious
site.
It also
invited the Secretary-General of the UN to hold a global conference on the
issue.
The
resolution has been adopted at a time when sectarian hatred is at its peak in
Muslim societies and most of the time it results in violence and attacks on
religious sites and shrines belonging to different sects and religions.
Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Mozambique, Niger and Middle East countries are
centres of sectarian and religious hatred and violence.
During the
Syrian civil war, the ISIS and its affiliates attacked religious sites and
shrines belonging to Christians and mausoleums and graves of prophets and Sufis
were destroyed by them. In Pakistan, Mazars and churches and temples are
attacked on a regular basis. In Nigeria, Mozambique and Niger, the ISIS-
affiliated terrorist organisations like Al Shabab and Boko Haram regularly kill
Christians and Sufi-minded Muslims and destroy churches and desecrate mosques
belonging to Sufi sect, calling their belief as "degenerate Islam".
Therefore,
presenting a resolution against sectarian and terrorist violence against
minorities by Saudi Arabia and adopting it by the UN is an important step but
it also raises some questions on the sincerity and motive of the signatory
countries on the issue.
The
terrorist organisations involved in such violence against religious sects and
sites are Al Qaida, ISIS, Boko Haram, Taliban, Sipah-e-Sahaba etc and the
countries that have signed on the draft resolution are Saudi Arabia, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iraq,
Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines,
Sudan, UAE, Venezuela, Yemen and State of Palestine.
The
terrorist organisations active in these Muslim majority countries preach and
practice a theology based on a radical interpretation of the Quran propagated
and circulated by the Ulema of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt. Most of the imams
of African and Asian countries are trained in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt and
imbibe a conservative approach to Islam from them. Saudi Arabia also funds
construction of mosques in African and Western countries which become centres
of Wahhabi ideology. The Al Qaida, Boko Haram, Al Nusrah, Taliban and the ISIS
subscribe to the Wahhabi ideology propagated and promoted by Saudi Arabia,
Egypt and Qatar.
Reports and
researches on the spread of radical Islamism in America and Europe reveal that
the growth of Muslim Brotherhood of Egypt and the ISIS in these countries is
due to the spread of the extremist Islamic ideology by the ulema affiliated to
the Muslim Brotherhood.
One
striking feature of this resolution is that Turkey and Qatar have not signed
the resolution. The reason is not far to seek. These two countries have showed
support to the ISIS during the Syrian civil war and various Congressional
reports have showed that Qatar has been a source of fundraising for the ISIS,
Taliban and Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist organisations.
Turkey has
provided shelter and support to the ISIS. Turkey has not signed the resolution
also because the resolution condemns the act of damaging and converting
religious sites. Turkey has recently converted two churches in mosques.
However,
Saudi Arabia is also not a saint. It, together with Qatar, had provided funding
and support to the ISIS during the Syrian civil war. The Saudi Minister Bandar
bin Sultan had brazenly acknowledged before the Russian President Putin that
the terrorist organisations active in Iraq and Syria were controlled by Saudi
Arabia.
If Muslim
countries, particularly the Saudi Arabia really want an end to terrorism and to
the sectarian violence, they don't need a resolution adopted by the UN. They
can do it by taking long term steps of removing radical interpretations of the
Quran and hadith from their religious texts and from their education system.
They should first root out terrorist organisations from their lands and declare
them un-Islamic. They should also stop using these terrorist organisations as
pressure groups and tools of "strategic depth" as was done by Saudi
Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey in recent years. Saudi Arabia used the ISIS during
the Syrian War; Pakistan used the Taliban in Afghanistan and Turkey used the
ISIS in Azerbaijan and Kurdistan.
The
resolution seems more of a diplomatic exercise of Saudi Arabia against Turkey
and Qatar. The absence of these two countries from the resolution strengthens
this belief. If Saudi Arabia and twenty other signatory countries really want
to root out sectarianism and terrorism from their lands, they should together
form a group and start ideological and military campaign against these
terrorist organisations. The UN and other European countries will always be
there to support them. But they should take the initiative first.
URL: https://newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/saudi-arabia-sponsored-un-resolution/d/124136
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