Iraq welcomes UN resolution promoting interreligious dialogue

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed on Wednesday a resolution issued by the United Nations General Assembly to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech, according to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.

The UN General Assembly called upon member states on Tuesday to engage with all relevant stakeholders to promote interreligious and intercultural dialogue and acceptance of differences, to reject the spread of hate speech, which constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence.

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry stressed the need to combat all forms of discrimination and hate speech, calling on all relevant actors, including states, to increase their efforts to address this phenomenon in accordance with international human rights law.

Contempt for beliefs and religions can lead to polarization and cause tensions in societies, provoking anger and strife among people and transforming differences into hatred and perhaps violence, as mentioned in the statement.

The UN decision followed tensions in the diplomatic relations between Iraq from one side and Sweden and Denmark from the other side after Quran burning incidents took place in the past few days in Stockholm and Copenhagen, and in response, protests took place outside the embassies of the two countries in Baghdad.