UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was “appalled” by those who
are resorting to religious bigotry for “political gains”, underlining that such
“intolerance and opportunism” poisons society.
“Violence against people because of their religious identity or beliefs is an assault on the core values of the United Nations. Such bigotry is also one of today’s greatest threats.”
Ban spoke in a video message for the high-level forum on global anti-Semitism at the United Nations.
“I am appalled by those who fan the flames of religious bigotry for
political gain. Such intolerance and opportunism does more than poisoning young
minds and hearts, it poisons all of society. Time and again, history has shown
that those who attack one minority today will target another tomorrow,” Ban
said in his message.
Ban’s strong message came days after UN human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al
Hussein lashed out at Donald Trump and Dutch
politician Geert Wilders, saying the call by such leaders to ban immigrants
from Islamic countries puts them in the same league as the terrorist organization ISIS.
“Geert Wilders released his grotesque eleven-point manifesto only days ago,
and a month ago he spoke along similar lines in Cleveland, in the United
States,” the UN official said.
“And yet what Wilders shares in common with Trump, (Hungarian prime
minister) Orban, (British politician Nigel) Farage, he also shares with Da’esh
(ISIS),” Al Hussein had said.
The rights chief had said that the “humiliating racial and religious
prejudice” fanned by the likes of Wilders has become “municipal or even
national policy” in some countries.
Ban said even though anti-Semitism is one of the world’s oldest, most
pervasive and deadliest forms of hatred, Jews continue to be targeted for
murder and abuse solely because they are Jews, despite the lessons of history
and the “horror” of the Holocaust. [Read the original story here…]
