Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim addressing the 3rd Counter-Terrorism Coordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assemblies.
Doha: The 3rd Counter-Terrorism Coordination Meeting of Parliamentary Assembly and Parliamentary Policy Dialogue began yesterday in Doha with a special focus on the international legal framework on border security and cross-border cooperation to prevent and counter terrorism.
The two-day event is being organised by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the UN Program Office on Parliamentary Engagement in Preventing and Countering Terrorism (based in Doha), in cooperation with the Shura Council.
Addressing the opening ceremony, Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim said: “During our meeting, we will study the coordination mechanism between parliamentary organizations and unions and discuss ways to support them to carry out their tasks to the fullest.”
He said that the panelists will assess and discuss the main national policy and legislative challenges/gaps in the context of border security and cross-border cooperation to prevent and counter terrorism.
“During these two days, we will review and evaluate the activities that have been carried out over the past year in cooperation between parliamentary organizations and unions and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism,” said Al Ghanim.
Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim (centre) with delegates participating in the third Counter-Terrorism Coordination Meeting and Policy Dialogue on Border Security in Doha yesterday.
He said that the activities and initiatives that will be implemented this year will be also discussed during the meeting.
The speaker of the Shura Council said that the policy pursued by Qatar under the leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is locally based on continuing sustainable development efforts and providing all means of a decent life to citizens and residents.
He said that at the international level, the policy exerts all possible efforts to enhance security, achieve international peace, and strengthen cooperation among all countries resolving all disputes peacefully in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.
“At a time when the civilized world is calling for respect of religions and their sanctities, and for the freedom to practice religious rites, unfortunately, we are witnessing an escalation in the religious intolerance and discrimination, and attacks on religious sanctities and symbols, under the pretext of freedom of expression,” said Al Ghanim.
He said that violations of people’s religious sanctities are unacceptable. Surprisingly, Speaker of Shura Council said, the authorities in some countries are now providing a legal cover for religious attacks, by allowing some individuals to transgress religious sanctities and symbols, and even protecting them when they carry out these disgraceful behaviours.
“For example, as you know that our Islamic religion and sanctities were subjected to transgressions by some citizens of a number of European countries - which are proud of their pluralism and claim to respect human rights and equality – as they made desecration of Holy Quran, the holy book of two billion Muslims worldwide.”
He said, for sure, such crimes generate and feed terrorism.
“These disgraceful behaviors must be discussed in this conference to prevent them, as it fuels unacceptable racism, contributes to deepening the gap between peoples and cultures, and incites hate speech.”
“We believe that this meeting should hold a discussion on preventing contempt for religions, criminalising insulting religious sanctities and symbols, and including them in the legislation and regulations of international parliamentary organisations, as an approach to addressing these objectionable acts,” said Al Ghanim.
Deputy Director of United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism H E Mauro Miedico, Vice-President and Chair of Ad Hoc Committee of Countering Terrorism, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly H E Reinhold Lopatka, President of Inter-Parliament Union H E Duarte Pacheco and President of APU/President of Senate, Parliament of Zimbabwe H E Mabel, Memor Chinomona also spoke in the opening ceremony.
