(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar affirmed its firm and principled position against all racist practices based on racial discrimination, regardless of their perpetrators, victims, or place.
This came in Qatar's statement delivered by Third Secretary in the Department of International Organiaations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maha Jassim al-Hail during the general debate on 'racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance: follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Program of Action', within the framework of the 52nd session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Proceeding from its firm conviction that racism and racial discrimination constitute violations of all international and national conventions and norms, Qatar has been keen to promote the values of equality; combat racism and intolerance, and to spread the discourse of tolerance and acceptance of the other, al-Hail said, highlighting Qatar's adoption of numerous measures that work to promote integration and consolidation of a safe, pluralistic tension free communal environment, with no manifestations of hatred, intolerance and racial discrimination.
She pointed out that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, was a valuable opportunity to promote the values of respect, equality and diversity, noting that the tournament confirmed that major sporting events can be harnessed to achieve rapprochement between peoples and support the values of tolerance and mutual respect. Al-Hail added that despite the decades of efforts to establish the principles of tolerance and equality, the phenomena of intolerance, racism, discrimination and hate speech are still present and widespread, highlighting the recent incidents of burning copies of the Holy Qur'an in some countries, which clearly aimed to distort the image of Islam and incite hatred against Muslims.
The repercussions of these dangerous and unjustified actions, whose scope is not limited to the national level only, provoke the feelings of more than 2bn Muslims around the world and cause a profound negative impact that is difficult to remedy in the short and long terms, she said. Al-Hail stressed the importance of taking effective measures, especially by governments whose countries witness these phenomena, to prevent all practices that incite racial or religious hatred, calling for the UNHRC, through its concerned mechanisms as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to give this subject sufficient attention in the context of carrying their duties and mandates.
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