Comments by David G. Littman, NGO Representative to the United Nations — Geneva: Association for World Education (AWE) / World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ)
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Robert Spencer’s revealing piece provides useful data on the dhimmitude mindset of many Eastern Christian clerics, fearful of Jihadist attacks against their vulnerable communities.
In our January 16, 2009 piece: “Jihad ISESCO (OIC) propagates Dialogue & Judeophobia in two books while celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN-Geneva, we provided, inter alia, a glaring example of the ‘thinking’ of the then-Archbishop of Baalbek, now Eparch of Newton, Cyril Salim Bustros — maybe soon to become the new Archbishop of Beirut.
I feel sure that Jihad Watch readers will appreciate rereading the Archbishop’s words on Jerusalem (Al-Quds), Ibrahim/Abraham, Jews, Judaism, Israel, delivered in Rabat, Morocco at an International Conference (June 7-8, 2002) on: “Protection of Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine”. It was published in 2004 with the texts of participants, including that of King Muhammad VI of Morocco, by ISESCO – the cultural arm of the OIC, which has cultural links to UNESCO since 1984, including a detailed joint programme of cooperation for 2008-2009 that was signed just before these ‘Proceedings’ and a similar book (2007) were displayed outside the Alliance of Civilizations Room at the Palais des Nation in Geneva during a full day’s OIC event. “The OIC Inter-Institutional Forum on Universal Shared Values: Challenges & New Paradigms” was sponsored by the “Permanent Observer Mission of the OIC in Geneva and Vienna” on Dec. 19, 2008, with the participation of OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, HCHR Neva Pillay and then Human Rights Council President, Nigerian Ambassador Martin I. Uhomoibhi.
A ‘Public Complaint’ was sent on January 12, 2009 by AWE and WUPJ to UNESCO’s Director and the HCHR with a detailed Human Rights Council written statement [A/HRC/10/NGO/29]. We have still not received an acknowledgment, let alone a satisfactory response after nearly two years, even though we raised the matter several times – and in a joint oral statement with the WUPJ on 24 April 2009 at the Durban [II] Review Conference concluding with a simple request:
We await firm action by UNESCO – and by all UN bodies – denouncing all such UN-related publications that can increase xenophobia, racial and religious hatred and tensions. Here is the time to begin.
That same day we were frogmarched out of the main UN Assembly Hall for simply handing our oral and written statements to three Western delegates and to the OIC delegate who asked for a copy. Quoting from our written statement six weeks earlier had led to another UN scandal when our condemnation of ISESCO/OIC’s defamation of Judaism and Jews was wrongly ruled “off the subject” at the Council by the Canadian Vice-President, advised by the Secretary on the podium.
UNESCO inaction over such a grave public complaint, with full documentation, should be compared to the recent Orwellian decision by UNESCO to organise a World Philosophy Day on November 21, 2010 in Teheran. It was in Teheran, nearly 21 years ago, that the OIC’s ‘Declaration of Human Rights in Islam’ (adopted on 5 August 1990 in Cairo) originated; this human rights document is totally dependent on Islamic Sharia (art. 24-25) in total contradiction with the Universal Declaration.
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Here is the extract from Eastern Catholic Archbishop Cyril Salim Bustros’s presentation on 7 June 2002 at the OIC-ISESCO International Conference in Rabat.
We have added his opening words which are meaningful in such a context and worth meditating.
First Axis: History of Islamic and Christian Holy Sites in Palestine
Presentation by Archbishop Cyrille Salim Bustros, the “Archbishop of Baalbek and its sub-ordinates of the Catholic Church – Chairman of the Middle Council of Churches”
Al-Quds in Christian Thought
In the name of God the Everlasting, the God of peace and Justice, ladies and gentlemen, Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allah wa barakatuh
Today, Al-Quds is one of the international grave issues at both the civil and religious levels. This situation has become even weightier when the Israeli government decided to establish Al-Quds as the capital of the State of Israel, a decision that has deeply affected us, Arab Christians and Muslims. (*)
[…] Al-Quds, the city of holiness, in the hands of the Zionists, has become today a trading centre where Arab Christians and Muslims are expelled and substituted with Jews. Al-Quds, which should be a house of prayer for all nations, has become in the hands of the Zionists a den of thieves where innocents and whoever claims a right and justice is killed.
Today, the Jews allege that Al-Quds belongs to them only. They have made it the capital of their Zionist state, arguing that it is the land of their ancestors since Ibrahim. If only they followed the example of this ancestor, who accepted to sacrifice his own son for the love of God. Instead, they have no qualms about killing the children of the others for the sake of their racist ambitions. John the Baptist, the great prophet who prepared for the advent of Jesus and called people to repent their sins to God, told the Jews: “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repent-ance, and think not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham”[Matthew 3: 7-8]. (p. 37)
The sons of Ibrahim are those who believe in the God of Ibrahim, namely in the One God, Creator of all humans, and acknowledge all people as their brothers with no discrimination and no distinction, for all people are creatures of Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds, as Muslims say, and sons of the One God, the Father and Commander, as Christians say. The sons of Ibrahim are those who accept to sacrifice what is most precious to them in faith and in obedience to His commands. God does not order us to murder the fellow humans he created in His shape and model. He does not order us either to exterminate and enslave people who hail from a different race and religion. He rather enjoins us to be merciful, humane, just and peace loving. (page 37)
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* As Bat Ye’or has written, art. 21 of the 2008 OIC Charter designates Al-Quds as its future permanent seat, replacing Djeddah. It also calls on UNESCO to halt all Israeli excavations.]