Attack on religious sites condemned

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has condemned all terrorist acts and attacks on religious sites and places of worship, affirming its support for the United Nations Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites. This came during the Kingdom’s speech at the high-level meeting called by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the occasion of the launch of the UN Plan of Action to Safeguard Religious Sites.

The speech was delivered by the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Dr Khalid bin Mohammed Manzalawi, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Kingdom’s speech stressed that the religious and cultural diversity among societies and peoples never justifies clash, but requires action to develop dialogue and build peace.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has launched an initiative to protect religious sites around the world in the face of growing attacks on places of worship.  “Religious sites should be places of worship, not places of war,” Guterres told reporters Thursday. 

The initiative aims to provide concrete recommendations to help countries ensure that houses of worship and their congregations are safe and that the values of compassion and tolerance are fostered globally.  In June, Guterres launched a companion effort to address root causes of hate speech, which he has repeatedly warned is inflaming intolerance around the world.

He has been especially critical of politicians who encourage xenophobia and use language targeting minorities, refugees, migrants and, as he put it, “anyone considered the so-called ‘other,’ ” though he has refrained from calling out offenders by name.