Francis Chartrand for Rivière-des-Mille-Îles: Doudou Diène blame cartoons, but not hate Muslims textbooks, by Noémie Cournoyer

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Doudou Diène blame cartoons, but not hate Muslims textbooks, by Noémie Cournoyer

The rapporteur of the UN on issues of racism promptly condemned the Danish cartoons two years ago. But he did not deign to respond to complaints of UN Watch, an NGO accredited to the UN, against hate textbooks of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

UN Watch is a Geneva-based NGO and special consultative status by the Economic and Social Council. Its International Board of Directors includes Mr. Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.

UN Watch has submitted to Doudou Diene, UN Special Rapporteur on the issues of racism and intolerance, two detailed reports based on an examination of the contents of textbooks 119 Egyptian and 93 Saudi textbooks. UN Watch condemns the incitement of children to racial hatred in a systematic and sustained by the state, and asks Doudou Diène to take action. We have translated the letter from UN Watch in Diène. Read below, we propose an action to take.

The UN Watch reports were submitted in 2005. Doudou Diène has not responded to those governments whose official textbooks are promoting hatred. He had promptly criticized the Danish government for its lack of "commitment and vigilance in the fight against religious intolerance and incitement to religious hatred" because it was not fast enough to condemn a newspaper edited by a private company that published caricatures of Muhammad.

Reports submitted to Doudou Diène show that Saudi Arabia and Egypt focus the education of their youth on xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and hatred of the West. For example, these books refer several times to Jews and Christians as "cursed", the "infidels" and "unbelievers" and "enemies of Islam". The West is "a society in decomposition endangered", and Jews were "a wicked nation, characterized by corruption, malice, deceit, betrayal, aggressiveness, and pride."

In his letters from 2005 to Doudou Diène, UN Watch complains that "the language of textbooks is shocking indoctrination of young students" and that therefore "there is a strong likelihood that children educated in this culture will develop racist stereotypes and intolerance. "

Given the inaction of Doudou Diène, UN Watch suggests citizens to send a letter to Diène asking him to take action against the teaching of hatred and intolerance. The website offers a UN Watch letter online (in English. We offer a translation below). You can join this campaign. Just a few mouse clicks.

Take Action - Fight the teaching of prejudice

We show here a translation of the letter from UN Watch in Doudou Diène (which Diène has not deigned to answer), followed by a translation of the letter posted on the website of UN Watch that you can sign online.

UN Watch letter to Doudou Diène

Mr. Doudou Diene, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance, OHCHR - Palais des Nations 8 - 14 avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10

On 7 January 2005

Dear Mr. Diène

This letter is an allegation that the textbooks distributed by the governments of Egypt and of Saudi Arabia are promoting hatred of Jews and Christians, as detailed in the attached report.

The teachings of these manuals are acts by those two governments, of contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination and intolerance associated with it. As an NGO based in Geneva and in special consultative status by the Economic and Social Council, we submit this information under the A/C.3/59/L.7lY Resolution of the General Assembly dated 24 November 2004, which provides for cooperation with NGOs.

You ask, in accordance with this resolution, to respond effectively to this serious information about the teaching of racism in the Saudi Arabian and Egyptian schools, and keep track of visits to these countries to encourage national authorities to undertake the necessary investigations and corrective actions, including the replacement of the message of hatred of those books with a message of tolerance.

The two attached reports are published by the Center for Monitoring the Impact of Peace in collaboration with the American Jewish Committee. In War and Peace, Israel and the West in Egyptian school textbooks, the contents of 119 Egyptian textbooks was examined for references to issues of peace and "Other", namely Christians, Jews and the West. In the Egyptian school textbooks, the report shows that "malice, greed, treachery, exploitation of others, fomenting strife, deceit, racism, arrogance, hypocrisy, deception, and hostility - all are presented as characteristics of Jews ". Therefore, there is a strong likelihood that children educated in this culture will develop stereotypes racist and intolerant.

The second attached report, entitled The West, Christians and Jews in the textbooks of Saudi Arabia, examining 93 Saudi textbooks. In these texts, Christians and Jews are denounced as "infidels," the West is "a society in decomposition endangered", and Jews were "a wicked nation, characterized by corruption, malice, the lies, betrayal, aggressiveness, and pride. " This language is shocking indoctrination of young students with a blatant anti-Semitism.

Our youth of the world, including that of Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East, deserves an education for peace which preaches tolerance, reconciliation and respect for others. Unfortunately, the attached reports show that Saudi Arabia and Egypt rather focus the education of their youth on xenophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianophobia and hatred of the West.

In addition to the remedies requested above, we ask that you discuss this allegation and equipment attached, and any replies from the Egyptian or Saudi, in your reports to the General Assembly and the Commission Human Rights.

Hillel C. Neuer Executive Director United Nations Watch

Doudou Diène letter you can send online to the website of UN Watch

Mr. Doudou Diene Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and intolerance OHCHR - Palais des Nations 8 - 14 avenue de la Paix 1211 Geneva 10

Subject: Textbooks Semitic and anti-Christians in Egypt and Saudi Arabia

Your UN mandate requires you to speak out against racial and religious intolerance, and you have so often been commendable. To give a recent example, in November 2005, after UN Watch and 30 other organizations have sent you a complaint regarding the call by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad so that Israel be "wiped off the map", you are admirably delivered demanding that Iran is due. In January 2006, in your report (E/CN.4/2006/16), you have condemned the declaration of Iran as "a manifestation of anti-Semitism." I congratulate you and thank you for your views on this issue.

I am writing today to ask you to take action against another case of racism and intolerance: the anti-Semitism and an anti-state sponsored, in schoolbooks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. For example, these books refer several times to Jews and Christians as "cursed", the "infidels" and "unbelievers", and "enemies of Islam". They teach students that "the Jews are a people of treachery and treason." And that "a malicious Crusader alliance of Jews and trying to eliminate Islam from all continents." Despite assurances of reform of school textbooks by the Saudis, the report by Freedom House in May 2006 entitled The curriculum of intolerance of Saudi Arabia reveals that the teaching of hatred continues.

The non-governmental organization UN Watch has sent letters of allegations regarding these textbooks, in January and May 2005. I urge you to respond to these letters without delay. Please raise these allegations with the Egyptian and Saudi governments, and request that they stop this curriculum to teach offensive and hateful.

In your last report (E/CN.4/2006/17), you criticized the Danish government for failing "engagement and vigilance in the fight against religious intolerance and incitement to religious hatred," because your opinion, it was not fast enough to condemn a newspaper published by a private company for the publication of caricatures of Muhammad. Surely governments whose official textbooks are, and for a long time, the blatant promotion of anti-Semitism and Christianophobia should merit your immediate attention and should earn a strong denunciation. Such a denunciation against the incitement of children to racial hatred in a systematic and sustained by the State should include a statement as you did for the Danish newspaper, for you and the UN Special Rapporteur for freedom of religion.

Sincerely,
Noémie Cournoyer

Labels: Egypt, Noémie Cournoyer, Religion and fanaticism, Saudi Arabia, UN