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Since the 9/11 attacks, "many Muslims, particularly in the West, have found themselves the objects of suspicion, harassment and discrimination," Annan said
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NEW
YORK, January 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan condemned on Tuesday, January 13, all
hatred and discrimination, with a special nod toward Muslims and Jews,
adding that Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon and that it is on the
rise in the West.
Addressing
a black-tie dinner at the U.N. headquarters in New York, 2001 Nobel
Prize winner Annan warned that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia were a
challenge to the spirit that he said unites peoples across the globe,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Since
the September 11 attacks on the United States, "many Muslims,
particularly in the West, have found themselves the objects of
suspicion, harassment and discrimination," the U.N. chief said.
"Too
many people see Islam as a monolith and as intrinsically opposed to
the West," he said. "Caricature remains widespread and the
gulf of ignorance is dangerously deep."
Anti-Semitism
Annan
also cautioned against anti-Semitism, which he said in part
"appears to be a by-product" of the conflict between the
Palestinians and Israel.
"Criticism
of Israeli policies is one thing. But it is quite another when such
critiques take the form of attacks, physical or verbal, on Jewish
individuals and the symbols of their heritage and faith," he
added.
"No
one should be allowed to use criticism of Israel's actions as a mask
for anti-Semitism. Nor on the other side should Israel's supporters
use the charge of anti-Semitism to stifle legitimate discussion."
Annan
delivered this speech, titled 'State of the
World, Brotherhood of Man', at the inaugural Robert Burns
Memorial Lecture at a gala dinner.
Burns,
a famed Scottish poet born in 1759 and who died 37 years later, was
described by Annan as an advocate for political and social change and
a champion for a world where all people live together in peace.
Quoting
one of burns poems, Anana said: "That man to man, the world o'er,
Shall brothers be for a' that," said Annan, calling - in Burn's
words - for understanding and brotherhood.
"At
a time when it is essential for us to tackle our problems together, we
seem to be slipping into mutual distrust, protectionism and
fear," Annan said.
Annan
urged humankind to find a way to co-exist but cautioned that the
fabric of international peace and law "may be starting to
unravel," and urged unity instead of bigotry, mistrust and
hatred.
"Living
together is the fundamental human project," he said.
