Gentlemen,The UN has this week been engaged in one of the most complex
cases to confront us in Afghanistan. This is the case involving Mr.
Abdul Rahman, a Christian convert. It is clear that a wide gap has been
opened between those who believe Mr. Rahman should be free and those
who believe he should be punished. We are aware too that a minority
of Muslims and Christians are using this case to promote their own political
agendas.
UNAMA’s support to the Government of Afghanistan on this issue
has led to some questioning of our own intentions. We have been asked
why we seek to uphold the human rights of Mr. Abdul Rahman. We have
been asked why we take a stand for him when the human rights of others
are abused. Some people even question whether Christian principles are
more important to us than Islamic ones.
The United Nations is not, and never will be, an organization for those
who seek to sow hatred, prejudice, disrespect, or distrust between different
peoples, different genders, or different religions. It is an organization
that exists because all its 191 member states, Afghanistan included,
believe that the things that unite humankind are greater than those
that divide us. Since 1945, when the UN was created, it has been committed
to attaining social and economic justice and protecting humankind from
conflicts and abuses of human rights. By choosing to work for the United
Nations each of us commits to upholding its principles: the most important
of these are contained in the United Nations Charter (our founding document)
and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (often said to be the
most translated document in the world). The United Nations was itself
formed out of a common desire to end conflict. This was after two World
Wars and many centuries of bloodshed, including countless wars between
rival religions.
Today, religious freedom is something that applies equally to followers
of all beliefs. If a citizen of a Christian country faced punishment
for converting to Islam, we would be duty bound to ensure that his rights
were upheld too. The purpose of such interventions is to protect the
rights of all men and women to freely practise their faith. In the case
of Afghanistan, this means upholding the principles of the Constitution,
based on Islam, which safeguards human rights. We have spoken out loudly
in cases where religious freedom is at risk, and we will do so when
other rights need defending too.
UNAMA has a mandate that requires us to protect human rights. It also
requires that we help the people and their national institutions in
dealing with problems encountered in the process of rebuilding. The
Security Council of the United Nations and the General Assembly first
gave this mandate to us in 2002 when this mission was formed. Where
need arises, we act.
Member states of the UN are responsible for upholding the Universal
Declaration. In this particular case we supported the Government because
we saw an individual’s rights to a fair trial, to freedom of religion,
to free expression, and to life and health, being in jeopardy. We also
saw a grave danger for Afghanistan’s relations with many of its
most committed international supporters.
UNAMA knows that some will disagree with our positions. We ask nonetheless
that every woman and man serving the United Nations in Afghanistan abides
by our
SRSG’s letter to all staff on the Abdul Rahman case March 30th
2006 universal principals. Standing together is not always easy, but
it is the right thing to do. Through our actions we seek to encourage
and promote tolerance, dialogue and understanding.
TOM KOENIGS, SRSG
Kabul, March 30th, 2006
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