A Pakistani representative of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) informed the UN Human Rights Council of this in a letter. The Writing was made public last Friday by the human rights organisation UN Watch.
The background to this is a forum planned for 7 March in Geneva, which goes back to a resolution that was passed by a narrow majority in July 2011 and calls for human rights for LGBT people. To this end, a Report on state discrimination against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans people which was presented in Geneva in December. It will now serve as the basis for the consultations in March.
The Islamic states are now taking a confrontational approach with their letter. They are very disturbed by the attempt to "focus on certain people with abnormal sexual behaviour". Issues relating to personal behaviour and preferences have nothing to do with human rights. Regional characteristics as well as historical, cultural and religious backgrounds should also be taken into account.
They are "deeply concerned" that such "controversial ideas", which have no basis in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are now finding their way into the Human Rights Council in this way. This damages its work, which is why the recommendations of the forum will not be accepted. UN Watch has also received information that the representatives of the Islamic states are planning to leave the meeting early.
Meanwhile, Hillel Neuer, head of the non-governmental organisation UN Watch, which was founded by the American Jewish Committee in 1993, called on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to condemn the "scandalous attack on gay rights". "Human rights are universal, and there must be no religiously based exceptions anywhere for barbaric violence against innocent people."
But even within the UN, homophobic speeches can be made openly. "Homosexuals jeopardise religion, the continuity and reproduction of humanity," protested Libya's delegate last Monday during a planning meeting of the UN Human Rights Council against the planned panel discussion.
Following this affront, human rights activists have questioned Libya's membership of the UN Council, which was only renewed in November. "We were happy when the Gaddafi regime was finally suspended last year," said Hillel Neuer. In 2010, his and over 70 other human rights organisations had launched a campaign calling for the Libyan dictator to be excluded from the UN Council.
"However, the Libyan government's shocking homophobic outbursts ... underscore the importance of our question of whether the new regime is truly willing to improve on the dismal record of its predecessor, or whether it will cave in to the hardline Islamists within its ranks," Neuer said.
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