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By Dina Rabie, IOL Staff
WASHINGTON –- The discrimination Muslims face all across Europe
is alarmingly on the rise, the US said in a damning report on
human rights, warning of a deteriorating rights situation
worldwide, mainly due to raging conflicts.
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The report cited
Switzerland's recent constitutional ban on the
construction of mosque minarets. |
"[We
see] discrimination against Muslims, including hate crimes, in
Europe," Michael Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for
Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, said Thursday, March 11,
announcing the release of the annual report on human rights.
The
report, titled "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices", drew
a grim picture of bias against Muslims in many countries across
Europe in 2009.
It
specifically highlighted the most recent case in Switzerland,
where a constitutional amendment was passed to ban the
construction of mosque minarets.
In
Austria, the report said, there were excessive use of force by
police and societal discrimination against Muslims, in addition
to anti-Muslim tone in election campaigns.
It
grilled Germany for a series of anti-Muslim trends, including
preventing Muslim organizations from their right to represent
their community, and court rulings against veiled Muslims
working in schools.
"A
debate continued in Lower Saxony's state parliament over police
security checks in mosques," the report added.
It also
slammed two key allies, France and Britain, for their human
rights records with respect to their Muslim minorities.
The
annual report underlined the banning of Muslim face-veils in
public in France, home to Europe’s biggest Muslim minority, as
one of the most blaring evidences.
"Members of the Arab Muslim community continued to experience
acts of harassment, particularly against immigrants of North
African origin."
The
human rights report also cited anti‑Islamic attacks against
persons and property in Britain.
"There
were numerous incidents of violence against individuals and
property, as well as a number of rallies and public gatherings
with anti-Muslim messages."
Alarming
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"We’re
leading in some ways with this report but, by all means,
others should feel free to say what they want about us,"
said Bosner. |
The
wide-ranging report asserted that other rights abuses remained
widespread across the world.
"Often
these violations relating to the integrity of the person are in
countries where conflicts are occurring," said the report, which
covers 194 countries.
It
noted that 2009 was a year in which ethnic, racial and religious
tensions triggered violent conflicts and serious human rights
violations and fueled or exacerbated more than 30 wars or
internal armed conflicts.
"There
still are an alarming number of reports of torture,
extrajudicial killings, and other violations of universal human
rights."
The US
report focused on Iran and China accusing them of cracking down
on opponents and increasing restrictions on the internet and
other forms of information.
It
particularly criticized Beijing for continued crackdowns on the
Muslim Uighur minority and Tibetans.
"The
Chinese government's human rights records remain poor and
worsening in some areas, including increased cultural and
religious repression of ethnic minorities," said Posner, the
Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and
Labor.
He said
they found that Iran's rights record "degenerated" during 2009,
with repression of protesters who took to the streets following
the controversial presidential polls.
"An
already poor human rights situation rapidly deteriorated after
the June elections.
"It is
a place where we are continuing to see severe repression of
dissent and are continuing to pay great attention," said Posner.
The
annual report also cited other countries, including Iraq,
Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, for worsening human rights
situations.
US Record?
The US,
which has compiled human rights reports on other countries for
the past 34 years, was quick to fend off criticism to its own
rights record.
"We
hold every government, including our own, to a single universal
standard," Bosner said.
But the
fact is that the US is not reviewed in the State Department's
annual report on human rights abuses.
The
Obama administration is facing criticism over failure to shut
down the notorious Guantanamo detention in Cuba, drone attacks
in Pakistan and Somalia and civilian deaths in Afghanistan.
"We’re
leading in some ways with this report but, by all means, others
should feel free to say what they want about us," said Bosner.
America's rights situation will come under scrutiny this fall at
the United Nations Human Rights Council.
"We are
also committed…in this year, to doing the first-ever universal
periodic review report to the UN Human Rights Council," said
Bosner.
Source:
http://www.islamonline.net
Date: 2010/04/13
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