UN's Durban II Conference Against Racism? 

By Sam Harari
August 20, 2008
The Bulletin
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The Durban World Conference against Racism, organized by the United Nations and held in South Africa in 2001, was driven by noble and just ideals. Its stated hope was to achieve recognition and prevention of crimes related to intolerance, racial discrimination and xenophobia.
 
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To the dismay of the many who shared the spirit of the conference's goal, the debate degenerated into a festival of overt bigotry. According to the Canadian government, it spiraled into a circus of intolerance.

And now, in anticipation of Durban II planned for 2009 in Geneva, human rights advocates and government officials alike predict it will be just more of the same.

Some Background

The first Durban conference's condemnation of Western European colonialism became tainted when it omitted mention of far more recent colonial crimes, including that of Armenia, and China's ongoing repression of Tibet.

Arab and Islamic states attempted to impose an agenda declaring Palestinian victimhood at the hands of Israeli colonialism and oppression.

Further, they attempted to equate modern Zionism, the belief in Jewish self-determination in their ancestral homeland, with racism.

The Sudanese Minister of Justice displayed perhaps the most overt example of the hypocrisy of the conference; representing a country guilty of ongoing slavery and genocide, the minister demanded reparations for historical slavery.

French philosopher and writer Pascal Bruckner put it best when he said, It was like a cannibal suddenly calling for vegetarianism.

At the NGO forum, hatred for Jews (and by extension for the U.S.) was not veiled behind politics.

Anti-Semitic cartoons were circulated. Copies of Mein Kampf and the Protocols of the Elders of Zion were handed out. A mob screaming, You are killers, shut down the only session on anti-Semitism, one of the most ancient and virulent forms of intolerance. A number of delegates were physically threatened, amidst calls of Death to the Jews.

Australia and Canada issued statements condemning the conference's hypocrisy. The Israeli and U.S. delegations walked out.


Going Forward

The upcoming Durban II conference's planning chairman invited Iran to join his inner circle, leaving many to wonder why Iran's insight would be proper in such a conference. After all, Iran is a country notorious for its human rights abuses, including a long history of persecution of the Ba'hai minority and stoning women for alleged accounts of adultery.

In addition, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadenijad has called for the Jewish state to be wiped off the map and has backed up this threat already by arming terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.

President Ahmadinejad has also called the Holocaust a myth, and in 2006 sponsored a Holocaust denial cartoon exhibition, inviting advocates for tolerance and human rights, including KKK leader David Duke and Hezbollah terrorist and founder Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour.

With a record like that, how could Iran be invited to help plan this anti-racism conference?

Well, the chair of the Bureau for the Durban Preparatory Committee is none other than Libya, a fellow Islamic country with one of the world's worst human rights records. Libya recently awarded the prestigious Qaddafi-prize to Holocaust-denier Roger Garaudy.

Pakistan, Indonesia and Cuba, all far from being beacons of tolerance, are also on the preparatory committee.

Iran has thus far scored a victory in keeping a Jewish NGO out of the first substantive session of the Durban II preparatory process.

Interestingly enough, condemnation of human rights abuses of radical Islam has also been suppressed, at the expense of the doctrine of freedom of expression.

In a recent Human Rights Council (which is planning the conference) session, British historian David Littman intended to read a statement protesting the stoning of women, forced marriages and the appalling practice of female genital mutilation under Shariah law. Egypt and Pakistan objected fiercely, declaring, We will not discuss issues related to Shariah law; this will not happen.

U.N. Special Rapporteur for racism, xenophobia and discrimination Doudou Diene recently held a speech in front of the United Nations in Geneva. Mr. Diene repeatedly blamed Western countries for using 9/11 to encourage Islamophobia. He did not mention anti-Semitism or anti-Christian persecution in the Middle East.

Anne Bayefsky of the NGO watchdog Eye on the U.N. said, The leading exponents of anti-Semitism - be they against individual Jews or the Jewish state as such - are once again given a global platform by the United Nations.

Philosopher George Santayana coined what is now perhaps the most treasured maxim of historians, declaring, Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

With Durban II being set up to be a repeat of its predecessor, many are questioning if participation in this anti-racism conference is wise.

Leading the call to boycott the conference is Canada, which has gone so far as to say it will not participate from the outset.

Canada is interested in combating racism, not promoting it, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and Canadian Identity Jason Kenney said.

Our considered judgment, having participated in the preparatory meetings, was that we were set for a replay of Durban I. And Canada has no intention of lending its good name and resources to such a systematic promotion of hatred and bigotry.

A number of other countries have pledged to walk out of the conference if it turns out to be a repeat of 2001, including France, the U.S. and Israel. In addition, over 500 prominent journalists, writers, scientists and artists have lent their signatures to a petition calling for the EU to boycott Durban II.

To allow unjust regimes to judge others is not a promotion of the ideals of national responsibility and equality - it is the polar opposite.

Even things that are better in principle must be sacrificed if that is what's necessary to prevent terrible consequences.

For the U.S. to boycott this anti-racism conference would not prove claims of American racism. On the contrary, it would be a reaffirmation of our moral ideals that have historically made this country a beacon of justice.