Geneva: At the 33rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Arab Federation for Human Rights addressed a number of topics of regional importance, including terrorism and security.
Delegates and experts gathered to examine the impact of terrorism on security and human rights.
A panel of four experts highlighted the urgent need for joint plans and strategies between civil society, international organisations, and governments to effectively address the threat of terrorism.
Panelist, Dr. Wissam Bassindwoah, emphasised while the source of global terrorism comes from the Middle East, the majority of terrorism victims are found in the region.
She stressed that terrorism includes bigotry, incitement, defamation and slander.
“Today’s acts of terrorism such as, sectarian incitement, arise from groups that emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood, and from a neighbor state that merely incites sectarian violence and intolerance,” she said.
Panelist, Hadi Alyami, was more direct with his criticism.
“Iran is behind all sectarian incitement in the region, thus, targeting Arab countries precisely,” he said.
Panelist, Eissa Al Arabi, agreed that the region was threatened by Iran’s actions while highlighting the destructive actions of the Muslim Brotherhood who “exploit religion for the pursuit of extremist agendas and influence violent terrorist actions across the region”.
According to another panelist, Dr. Richard Burchill, terrorist acts damage property, threaten human dignity, and places fear in society, severely impacting human rights and human security.
Yet, too often, government actions to confront such acts such as the use of police and strict security measures can also damage human security.
Therefore, he determined it was important to find a balance where society is not threatened by either terrorism or state responses to terrorism.
He also stressed the danger of individual states pursuing isolated agendas to address terrorism.
He said states should work together to confront the stark challenge.
