Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, welcomed the resolution passed by the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held in Geneva on 8 July. The resolution targets the pressing issue of mitigating religious hatred that promotes discrimination, hostility, or violence, and it reasserts the responsibility of all parties to publicly condemn any advocacy of religious hatred, including the defiling of sacred texts, and to explore solutions to bring its perpetrators to justice.
According to Gamal Roshdy, the spokesperson of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Aboul Gheit had previously denounced the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran by extremists, which had been authorised by the Swedish authorities during the first day of Eid Al-Adha. Mr. Aboul Gheit held the Swedish authorities accountable for not taking decisive measures against such heinous acts.
Mr. Aboul Gheit urged all countries to embrace the resolution and undertake necessary measures to curb the surging tide of animosity between individuals and communities of different faiths. He has emphasised the need for countries to scrutinise their laws and policies that do not adequately address religious hatred and to enforce laws against hate crimes and incitement. Mr. Aboul Gheit highlighted the urgency of addressing legal loopholes in this regard. He has urged immediate action to be taken to bridge these gaps in the legal framework.
The General Secretariat of the League of Arab States was actively involved in the voting process of the resolution, with a delegation led by Ambassador Dr. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, the Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Social Affairs Sector at the League. The resolution received backing from the majority of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with 28 nations voting in favour of it. However, 12 countries opposed the resolution, while seven countries abstained from voting.
