COVID-19 has not prevented some countries from supporting cross-border terrorism: India

The COVID-19 pandemic has not prevented some countries from supporting cross-border terrorism and spreading spiritual hatred, India has stated on the UN, in an obvious reference to Pakistan, asserting that the United Nations should communicate decisively and not take sides amongst religions or justify terrorism in any manner.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador T.S. Tirumurti, stated on Tuesday that India condemns all types of anti-semitism and all types of discrimination on spiritual grounds wherever on the earth.

“We now have countries taking advantage of the ongoing pandemic and spreading divisive hatred to other parts of the world on the basis of religion. COVID has not prevented them from supporting cross-border terrorism to kill innocent people and spread religious hatred,” he stated, with out naming any nation.

Mr. Tirumurti stated India calls on these countries to cease spreading anti-semitism and hatred and cease dividing the world on the premise of faith.

“We ask them to look inwards to promote harmony within their own societies, stop sectarian violence and ensure the protection of minorities. We believe it is important for the United Nations to speak decisively and not take sides with one group of religions vis-a-vis the others or justify terrorism in any way,” he stated.

Mr. Tirumurti was addressing the digital high-level occasion by World Jewish Congress on combating anti-semitism.

India co-sponsored the net aspect occasion, which was held in partnership with the Permanent Mission of the Germany to the UN in collaboration with Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, Romania, Slovakia and Uruguay.

He stated India is a rustic which is house to all main religions of the world and is a nation that has given start to a number of religions — probably the most distinguished of them being Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.

“I also come from a country which does not have any trace of anti-semitism,” Mr. Tirumurti stated, highlighting India’s thriving Jewish neighborhood that goes again greater than 2,000 years.

He stated the Jewish neighborhood is an integral a part of the pluralistic cloth of India, and it has enriched this cloth as a lot as some other neighborhood.

“In this river called Indian civilization, every faith and every denomination is embraced in the framework of our democratic structure, pluralism, harmony and mutual acceptance,” the Indian diplomat stated.

Mr. Tirumurti additionally highlighted the quite a few milestones over the interval of two,000 years of Jewish neighborhood in India — from the Jewish neighborhood being granted sanctuary by the Puucho Maharaja of Cochin Rama Varma in Kerala when it confronted persecution from some European powers within the sixteenth century and the King of Jamnagar Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja who in 1942 offered refuge and safety to greater than 1,000 Polish kids, together with Jewish kids once they have been denied entry by different countries, bringing them up as his personal.

He additionally spoke in regards to the “dastardly” Mumbai terror assaults in November 2008 carried out by Pakistani terrorists.

Mr. Tirumurti stated the entire of India prayed for child Moshe Holtzberg, who was saved by his Indian caregiver, Sandra Samuel, when terrorists stormed Nariman House and killed the little child’s father Rabbi Gavriel and mom Rivka, who was 5 months pregnant on the time.

He added that there are various well-known Jewish-Indians who’ve distinguished themselves in all walks of life, together with General JFR Jacob, a nationwide hero in India who led the Eastern Command of the Indian Army throughout India’s victory within the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

The World Jewish Congress held the high-level on-line occasion on the function of the UN in combating antisemitism as a aspect occasion to the seventy fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

“Anti-semitism poses a threat to democratic values, peace and stability, and the World Jewish Congress has long worked with the United Nations to ensure that the fight against antisemitism is a priority of the UN’s human rights agenda,” it stated in a press release.