ANI
23 Aug 2019, 09:57 GMT+10
New York [US], Aug 23 (ANI): Raising the issue of suppression of religious freedom at the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada on Thursday slammed China and Pakistan for "persecuting and repressing" their religious minorities.
During a UN meeting on Safety of Religious Minorities here, the US, UK and Canada expressed concerns over the increasing, widespread and undue restrictions on religious freedom in the two countries. They also highlighted the discrimination suffered by the Uyghur community in China and of Christians, Ahmadis, Hindus and other minorities in Pakistan.
Naveed Walter, President of Human Rights Focus Pakistan, apprised the United Nations about the "biased behaviour" of Chinese and Pakistani regimes against minorities in their respective countries. He also pointed out that in countries like China, national security was being used as a pretext to curb religious freedom of the minorities.
"Today, a large number of people are marginalised in their own societies. The biased behaviour dwells in other areas also, like the minorities on the basis of religious affiliation as in Pakistan, Ahmadis having a situation; like China, growing number of countries using national security as a pretext for restricted religious expression at the role of religion in public domain," said Walter.
China and Pakistan have been condemned internationally for cracking down on the minorities living in their countries. China has been accused of oppressing the Uyghurs by sending them to mass detention camps, interfering in their religious activities and sending the community to undergo some form of forceful re-education or indoctrination.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also reportedly been discriminating against its religious minorities which is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes, forced conversion to Islam, etc., making the Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas and Shias one of the most persecuted minorities in the region.
Washington also expressed concerns over the Chinese government using several measures to suppress the minorities.
"We remain deeply concerned about the Chinese government escalating widespread and undue restrictions on religious freedom in China. We urge the Chinese government to respect the human rights and fundamental freedoms of everyone in that nation," said Sam Brownback, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom.
London and Ottawa also expressed their concerns on the same.
"UK has spoken up for rights of religious communities and minorities across the world. From Uyghurs in China, Christians and Ahmadis in Pakistan," said Lord Ahmad, UK PM's Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief. (ANI)Get a daily dose of New York Telegraph news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to New York Telegraph.
More InformationSAN FRANCISCO, California: Nvidia, the Silicon Valley chipmaker at the heart of the artificial intelligence boom, this week briefly...
REDMOND, Washington: Artificial intelligence is transforming Microsoft's bottom line. The company saved over US$500 million last year...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: A federal rule designed to make it easier for Americans to cancel subscriptions has been blocked by a U.S. appeals...
BASTROP, Texas: In a surprising turn at Elon Musk's X platform, CEO Linda Yaccarino announced she is stepping down, just months after...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
LONDON, U.K.: Physically backed gold exchange-traded funds recorded their most significant semi-annual inflow since the first half...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak will return to Goldman Sachs in an advisory role, the Wall Street...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Travelers at U.S. airports will no longer need to remove their shoes during security screenings, Department of Homeland...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Financial markets kicked off the week on a cautious note as President Donald Trump rolled out a fresh round...
(Photo credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images) Going into the All-Star break with momentum will be vital for the New York Mets, who...
The US president still regards Russias Vladimir Putin as the main negotiating partner, the report claims US President Donald Trump...
The International Criminal Court is in a deadlock over expanding its powers after three days of talks The International Criminal...