Tag: human rights

  • EU Funds Islamist Indoctrination in Pakistani Schools

    EU Funds Islamist Indoctrination in Pakistani Schools

    The bloc has “lost its credibility as a commercial power guided by human values,” human rights activist said.

    Between 2016 and 2024, the European Union spent upwards of €150 million on education in Pakistan, according to a 2024 report entitled Pakistan, Education System, Curriculum and EU Funding, authored by Sallux/ECPM (the European Christian Political Movement). 

    The ECPM report contains over 40 pages of excerpts and pictures from textbooks which show that the views expressed in Pakistan’s official curriculum are not compatible with the EU values expressed in its Charter of Fundamental Rights.

    This misuse of EU taxpayers’ money was revealed at a gathering at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva during the recent 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council. 

    The EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) encourages developing countries (such as Pakistan) to pursue sustainable development and good governance. Eligible countries must implement 27 international conventions on “human rights, labor rights, the environment and good governance”.

    The EU is currently Pakistan’s second most important trading partner as, two years ago, it accounted for 15.3% of Pakistan’s total trade. Pakistan is a major beneficiary of the trading opportunities offered by the EU’s GSP. Since January 1, 2014, Pakistan has benefited from generous tariff preferences (mostly zero duties on two-thirds of all product categories) under the so-called GSP+ arrangement. 

    The event at UN headquarters, titled “Human Rights in Pakistan: Education Under Siege—Ideology, Intolerance, and the Erosion of Human Rights in Pakistan,” spotlighted the country’s Islamic extremist education system and its escalating human rights abuses. It was organized by CAP Freedom of Conscience, a French NGO with special consultative status to the UN, Human Rights Without Frontiers (HRWF), and Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD).

    Former EU Commissioner Ján Figeľ, also the first EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Relief outside the EU, said in his keynote address that “Pakistan’s constitutional and penal structures—particularly the blasphemy laws—are uniquely harsh and foster widespread discrimination.”

    Figeľ cited a case where Pakistani Islamic clerics forced a college professor, Sher Ali, to publicly renounce teaching a number of beliefs and ideas as against Islamic law. One such idea was Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. In 2022, Ali’s car was attacked with a magnetic bomb, leaving him in a wheelchair for months.

    “Pakistan is the largest beneficiary of GSP+ preferences, yet there has been little improvement in human rights,” he said. “ The EU must reassess the cost of this silence.”

    His call was backed by Willy Fautré, Director of Human Rights Without Frontiers. “This is not education—it is ideological coercion,” Fautré said. “The EU’s credibility is at stake. If Europe is to remain a human rights actor, it must ensure that public funds do not enable the erosion of pluralism and academic freedom.”

    Fautré noted

    By accepting de facto this situation and by failing to sanction Pakistan’s non-implementation of the GSP+, the EU has misused the money of the EU taxpayers and has lost its credibility as a commercial power guided by human values.”

    Fautré listed some of the “persistent egregious human rights violations that have remained unchanged for 10 years,” including the fabrication of blasphemy cases against Christians, Ahmadis, and other religious minorities;  acts of violence and mob violence against members of minority religious communities; and the persistence of madrassah religious schools, beacons of indoctrination and extremism, which are out of control of the state.

    Akey topic addressed by speakers was the ‘Single National Curriculum (SNC),’” which was introduced in 2020 in Pakistani state schools. 

    “[The curriculum] drew strong criticisms from education experts and human rights defenders for its lack of inclusivity, the over-emphasis on Islamic religious content at the expense of religious minorities, the subliminal ideology of Islamic supremacy and poor pedagogy,” Fautré noted.

    The human rights organization Open Doors also referred in its 2024 report to Pakistan’s “increasingly Islamizing culture” and educational system:

    The introduction of a ‘Single National Curriculum’ in schools denigrates religious minorities and enforces the teaching of the Quran and subjects like Mathematics and Science in an Islamized manner. Thus, religion is permeating school education, dividing children and families. Radical Islamic groups are flourishing … and are used by various political groups as allies. 

    Inna Chefranova, Executive Director of the European Facilitation Platform,  addressed the plight of girls from religious minorities who are subjected to abductions, forced conversion, and forced ’marriage.’ She cited the case of a 13-year-old Catholic girl, Arzoo Raja, who was abducted, converted to Islam, and forcibly married to an older man in 2020, illustrating the consequences of Pakistan’s judiciary and education system.

    “The EU cannot continue to provide GSP+ privileges while systemic abuse persists. Monitoring without enforcement fails victims,” Chefranova said. “Education should be a tool of inclusion, not indoctrination. Until reforms are implemented, support should be conditional on measurable progress.”

    A recorded message from MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen, Co-Chair of the EU Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief, was also shared during the event. 

    “We fund education in Pakistan, yet we disavow responsibility for what that education teaches. That is unacceptable,” Ruissen noted. 

    A 2024 inquiry made by Ruissen to the European Commission confirmed that EU taxpayers’ money had been provided to “religious seminaries” in Pakistan. Referring to the inquiry, Ruissen called for parliamentary action. He noted that “the EU must integrate these concerns into the upcoming GSP+ review. We cannot subsidize hate and exclusion.”

    As a result, the EU enables a discriminatory and extremist curriculum which leads to the further Islamization of the Pakistani population. The EU is also supporting the oppression of everyone in the country who is not an Islamist, an abusive culture that is transported to Europe through mass migration. Sadly, it appears that the EU has—to a certain extent—become an enabler of Islamization in both the Old Continent and overseas. 

    By Uzay Bulut

    europeanconservative.com

  • ‘Dignity is the foundational principle of all human rights’ – an interview with Ján Figel

    ‘Dignity is the foundational principle of all human rights’ – an interview with Ján Figel

    Ján Figel is the EU’s Special Envoy for Promotion of Freedom of Religion outside the EU, appointed by the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker in 2016. New Europe asked him about the progress made, and what lies ahead for freedom of religion and belief:

    New Europe: You have served as the EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief outside the EU for now 3 years. What are your most meaningful achievements?

    Ján Figel: My exploratory and difficult mission accumulated much political trust outside and inside of the EU and expectations for the future. Several EU Member States created similar positions (Germany, UK, Denmark, Hungary, and Lithuania). I established very constructive cooperation with the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) Ahmed Shaheed, with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, US Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, the OSCE/ODIHR, the Holy See diplomacy, with NGOs, media and civil society in the FoRB area. After two introductory years of intensive work, I succeeded in January through the Grzyb Report to get the European Parliament’s support for continuity and adequate conditions of this mandate for the future, after the EU elections.

    Religious freedom and religious social responsibility are much more on the agenda now than at any time before. We decided to get this content repeatedly integrated into the European Development Days. After 25 years of existence, the Lorenzo Natali Media Prize for journalists was enriched by FoRB Prizes (professional and amateur prize). For the first time, there are projects supported by the EU in the area of intercultural and interreligious dialogue to the tune of 5million Euro. I supported the founding of and the successful work of the European Academy of Religion operating since December 2016 in Bologna. Hundreds of scholars from Europe and beyond are working and meeting annually engaging in scientific cooperation around religion studies.

    Especially rewarding were my experiences with the release of some persecuted persons, like Czech activist Petr Jašek and his two collaborators in Sudan, human rights defender Ibrahim Mudawi and five other activists in Sudan, or Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman who had been sentenced to death in Pakistan. Human life saved from the hands of injustice or from fanatics is a great encouragement!

    Your title makes clear that your mandate concerns non-EU States. Do you think it would be appropriate to include in it the promotion of freedom of religion or belief inside the EU? Why?

    I visited many countries and have participated in numerous conferences. The most important missions include Iraq, Sudan, Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Israel, Palestine, UAE, and Bahrain. Everywhere I somehow had to respond to questions, doubts or concerns about religious freedom in the EU. I defended our values, principles and commitments which are evident. I am frequently speaking inside the EU on FoRB – in Brussels, Berlin, Prague, Bratislava, London, Rome, etc, and issues are frequently raised regarding our internal situations.

    We need to show consistency in our intra-EU policies if we want to achieve higher credibility outside. Here like in all human rights agenda, double standards in policy is counterproductive. But the internal promotion of FoRB is obviously different, having in mind not only constitutional instruments in all EU Member States but also our Treaty with the Charter of Fundamental Rights and the Luxembourg European Court of Justice and also the European Convention on Human Rights and the Strasbourg ECHR.

    I am sure we do not need nowadays new institutions, but we need a new institutionally-based approach combining external and internal dimensions of FoRB promotion. We need an innovative approach. For example, the European Parliament Intergroup can deal with FoRB situations in both dimensions – outside and inside the EU. Some other European Parliament committees and EU bodies can address FoRB in the EU as well. For example, Treaty Art. 17 Dialogue with churches, religious communities and humanists and non-confessional organisations could be used to reflect on FoRB issues.

    You are known to work in an all-inclusive manner with civil society, NGOs and faith-based organization in order to fulfil your mandate. Do you think this to be a key to success and why?

    “United in diversity” in this area is a must. There are many opponents of FoRB agenda; there is usual business-oriented dominance at EU meetings and dialogues on security, migration, monetary or economic concerns. Therefore, we need to unite people and groups who care about freedom of thought, conscience, faith or belief. There is open space for secular and religious humanists to work together. I am sure this is the right approach to success. FoRB is our common concern and common good, it is actually a civilizational issue.

    And why? I tested such an inclusive approach around human dignity. Dignity is the foundational principle of all human rights, very much resonating with the right for FoRB. And recently we got a great consensual message of diverse scholars and international experts for FoRB and human rights: The Declaration on Human Dignity for Everyone Everywhere. I helped to initiate this Declaration. This is a very timely contribution towards the interdependence, indivisibility and importance of universal human rights.

    What do you think should be done to improve the efficiency of the EU as regards Freedom of Religion or Belief, either outside or inside of the EU?

    My role since May 2016 was a pioneering one. I served as Special Adviser to Commissioner Neven Mimica responsible for development cooperation policy. European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Vice-President Frans Timmermans, Commissioners Mimica and Hahn, DG DEVCO, NEAR, JUST, EEAS and many other parts of EU institutions, like European Parliament President Tajani, Vice-President McGuiness, the European Parliament AFET Committee, the Intergroup on FoRB and RT, Council COHOM were all supportive. A Special Envoy holding an external contract is not fully integrated into the system. But trust and results accumulated during those three years can be now used for a stronger and more efficient approach during the next period.

    The first input is better awareness and understanding what FoRB protection means for human rights in general, for good governance and sustainable development. FoRB for all is a condition of security, economic strength and social cohesion. The next step should be the institutionalization of FoRB in the European Union, as we see it in a growing number of EU member states or the USA and Norway. This decision can be made by the future European Commission supported by the newly elected European Parliament. I am sure, conditions are maturing and the momentum is there.

    FoRB for all is fully in the spirit of Robert Schuman’s legacy. A permanent EU FoRB Special Envoy with a professional team, with a stronger multiannual mandate correctly integrated within the Commission and the EEAS, working closely with the Council, the Member States and the European Parliament should be established to pursue a permanent and efficient promotion of FoRB for all.

    https://www.neweurope.eu/article/dignity-is-the-foundational-principle-of-all-human-rights-an-interview-with-jan-figel

  • Freedom of religion and belief beyond the EU’s borders

    Freedom of religion and belief beyond the EU’s borders

    Religious freedom is one of the most essential human rights, enshrined solidly in international law. Being part of EU primary law, the Union has committed to promote and protect religious freedom worldwide.

    However, according to the Pew Research Center, about three-quarters of the world’s population live in countries with high or very high restrictions or social hostilities to religious minorities. This decade has also witnessed a rise in religion-related terrorism, with some regions being more affected than others, which has also led to armed conflict and sectarian violence.

    To answer to this global problem, in May 2016, Commission President Juncker appointed Ján Figel’ as the first Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union. His mandate is due to expire in May 2017, potentially leaving the EU without representation in this arena.

    EURACTIV organised a stakeholder workshop to discuss the freedom of religion and belief outside the EU. Questions included:

    – How can the inclusion of all religious minorities be ensured?

    – Should the mandate of the Special Envoy be renewed and if so, should his/her position be strengthened?

    – Is the current institutional set-up suitable to guarantee the promotion and protection of freedom of religion and belief?

    To see our upcoming events, visit: http://events.euractiv.com/