UN Ignores Call for Unified Definition of Sharia in Response to Human Rights Violations
Over almost two months since its submission, a complaint made by dozens of concerned citizens worldwide has not been acknowledged.
A global group of 81 concerned citizens submitted a complaint to the United Nations seeking a response regarding certain aspects of Sharia law and their connection to human rights violations against women on March 8, International Women’s Day. The complaint has yet to receive an acknowledgment or response.
The document specifically requests a response from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which claims to represent the Muslim world at the UN by providing a universal codification of Sharia law. Sharia law, based on the Muslim scriptures like the Koran, is subject to varying interpretations across the Islamic world. The complaint highlights the lack of universal codification as a reason why Sharia is associated with human rights violations against women.
The OIC, the second largest inter-governmental organization globally after the UN, calls itself “the collective voice of the Muslim world” and has permanent delegations to the UN and the European Union, with 48 Muslim-majority countries as members.
The complaint clarifies that it is not “Islamophobic, hate speech, or racism” and was shared with several UN agencies and other global human rights bodies.
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Recipients of the complaint included various UN agencies, the secretary-general, and the under-secretary-general/legal counsel of the UN. The document was also shared with other global human rights bodies.
Phyllis Chesler, an American writer, psychotherapist, and author, signed the complaint emphasizing that it is an “anti-Sharia” complaint and a symbolic statement.
The Epoch Times attempted to reach out to several agencies and individuals to whom the complaint was sent but did not receive a response.
Rahul Sur, a former UN official and signatory of the complaint, expressed disappointment at the lack of response from the UN and highlighted previous instances of delayed action.
