Madam Arbour!
There we go again. We've just gone through the truly puzzling transformation of human rights relativism through the kindly auspices of Madam Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, assenting to an Arab human rights charter equating Zionism with racism, scratching our heads in puzzlement that anyone with a vestige of knowledge about human rights would lend themselves to this tragic inverse logic, then Ms. Arbour reverses herself.Kind of. As she delicate puts it; having reminded the framers of this new Arab human rights charter that their designation of Zionism as racism - the movement and ideology to be fought with every last breath of their collective bodies in an over-arching righteous determination to destroy the evil of racism within the Jewish body politic - does not conform with the UN's own amended view of the designation.
Madam Arbour goes further, demurring politely from the charter's statements with respect to "traditions" within the culture, taken from Islam's Shariah law, which has not been averse to prescribing the death penalty for children, and which also continues to treat of women as chattels, to the extent that honour killings are almost commonplace. The treatment in Arab Muslim societies of aliens, those not of their society is also nothing to write home about.
But these are all delicately placed "in context" of human rights protection, Arab-style. The persecution of people of state-unrecognized religions, the prosecution of social and political dissenters, the death penalties imposed upon those who would promote a kinder, gentler Islam, or those accused of religious perversions, and denial of Islam; blasphemers and apostates - those to whom the new charter will be inimical of continued life.
Suddenly, given the public outcry, the disapproval, actually the perplexity evinced by leaders of the same societies out of which Madam Arbour was birthed and educated and practised her judicial trade, appears to have convinced her that she has deviated somewhat from the path of human-rights practice and support. Eliciting a rather equivical response from her office, placing her not quite there, not exactly here...
"[The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights] does not endorse these inconsistencies. We continue to work with all stakeholders in the region to ensure the implementation of universal human rights norms." Well, that's a relief. She and her UN body will work with all stakeholders in the region. Presumably uniformly Arab. One might venture the opinion that Israel is most certainly a stakeholder in the region.
Most particularly given the fact that she is being singled out in the most blatantly mendacious manner, in a manner dangerously certain to give heartfelt support and succour to hostile-state proxy militias whose business it is to terrorize her and her population. Thus said, Israel most certainly has a deep and abiding stake and interest in the proceedings.
Is Israel, then, to be among those in the region whose opinion and measured recommendations will be sought?
Labels: Justice, Middle East, Troublespots
posted by Pieface @ Sunday, February 03, 2008
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