India slams UN’s selectivity to acknowledge growing hatred against Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism

New Delhi, Dec 04: The selectivity practised by the United Nations and its failure to acknowledge the rise in hatred and violence against Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism has been questioned by India.

India said that the UN however is quick to condemn attacks against Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

India said that it firmly condemned anti-Semitism, islamophobia and anti-Christian acts. However the UN resolutions on such important issues speak of these three Abrahamic religions. The august body fails to acknowledge the rise of hatred and violence against Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism also, Ashish Sharma, First Secretary of the Permanent Mission of India to the UN in New York, said.

Sharma was delivering a statement on behalf of the Government of India at a conclave on Culture and Peace at the UNGA in New York.

"Why is this selectivity? Overall, Hinduism has more than 1.2 billion, Buddhism has more 535 million, and Sikhism around 30 million followers. It is time that attacks against these religions are also added to the earlier list of the three Abrahamic religions when such resolutions are passed. The culture of peace cannot be only for Abrahamic religions. As long as this selectivity exists, the world can never truly foster a culture of peace, Sharma also added.

Sharma cited the example of the demolition of the 6th century Buddha statues in Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2001. He also referred to the killing of Sikhs in the Kabul Gurudwara attack earlier this year and also the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist Temples and minority cleansing in some countries.

"The United Nations is not a body which should take sides when it comes to religion. If we are indeed selective, we will only end up proving Samuel Huntington's 'clash of civilisations'. What we are trying to build here is an 'alliance of civilizations', not set up a clash," Sharma went on to add.