And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Please contact Action Resource Center with any questions or comments: [EMAIL PROTECTED] or contact (310) 396-3254 for Los Angeles Action Resource Center, Kim Mizrahi or Jennafer Waggoner United Nations Report on Religious Intolerance � 55th session PART 1 This is the URL web address for the report: http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0811fcbd0b9f6bd58025667300306dea /3129ccf9f586f71680256739003494e4?OpenDocument#IC We are contacting you because you are either one of many people mentioned in a Special Report on Religious Intolerance in the United States by Mr. Abdelfattah Amor or you are a Indigenous Group that may have concerns about the implications this report has. We would like for you to read this United Nations Report and to please respond. We have several reasons why we think everyone should have a response to this letter. Whatever you decide your response will be, please e-mail us a copy We believe this report should be publicly criticized because: 1. There is no recommendation for citation of the United States for Religious Intolerance on any of the cases mentioned. Many of you have suffered horrible indignities at the hands of the US Governments, though they may be mentioned, this report does not damage the US Government�s credibility. No accusations are brought forth �A slap in all of our faces� 2. Other Reasons include: Some issues are made out to be intertribal disputes, when there is evidence to the contrary. Particular problems with the BIA are not mentioned. Particular episodes with the US government, i.e. specific incidences of violence against us for valid cases of religious intolerance are not outlined in detail. No resolution or action recommended. Corporations in collusion with the US government to take away natural resources without regard to religious tolerance are not mentioned. Land Based Religion is not mentioned or defined, basis for existence not mentioned. There are very important statements that are made by this report. One is a case is brought forward for Native People�s religious expressions in Prison. The other is the statement that there is no other religious intolerance in the United States except against Native American People. There is a little more. So if you want the full report, check out the URL above. If you want to only look at Section C, which specifically details Native issues in the report, check out this URL http://www.nativeweb.org//pages/legal/intolerance.html Listed below is a quick reference for the full report. Listed underneath that is what we have pulled out of the report, that we feel is relevant, so that you can have a quick reference to the information. Here we go� The United Nations Report on Religious Intolerance Cliff Note Guide!!! You should read the entire report, obviously to read what Mr. Amor states about other religions and to what depth he speaks of other groups. We have outlined, for your speed reading convenience the paragraphs we have found during our reading that may be of specific interest to you and your cause. Report number 5. You should pay special attention to the fact that Mr. Amor feels he has been �hindered� in being able to gather evidence for the report. In particular he mentions a �series of obstacles�, �various attempts to interfere and take control of his program�, to undermine his report. Legal Situation in the Field of Religion or Belief Section 7-28 is for everyone to read carefully. 31. Of Native American Concerns. C. Situation of the Native Americans 52-69 Needs to be reviewed by all. 52. 53. Native Americans the community facing the most problematic situation... 54. Ceremonial Rites, Creation Myths. 55. A condensed paragraph on Native American�s Right to Religion 56. American Cases, policy, etc. brief. 57. weaknesses and gaps... 58. �No action clause, needs legal teeth...� 59. Indian Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Eagle Feathers, Need for protection of Native Americans incarcerated... 60. Legal System: mentions Black Hills. 61. Actually almost quotable and usable for our collective purposes. 62. Mentions many tribes and their issues, rather briefly. 63. Mentions Black Mesa. Seems to regard problem as intertribal dispute, rather than a Government and Corporation collaboration to strip resources from Indigenous Peoples. Apache Nation. 64. Ceremonial Instruments. 65. Native American Prisoners. 66. Children asked to cut their hair. 67. State Department claims progress for greater protection and autonomy for indigenous peoples. 68. Policy as �destructive towards Native Americans and biased in favour of the country�s economic interests. President Clinton�s administration claims they have Native American�s Interests at heart. 69. Problems with courts and Public Services. Sacred Sites not located on Native Property. III. Conclusions and Recommendations 74. As far as tolerance and non-discrimination based on religion or belief are concerned, the Special Rappateur notes that... �the actual situation in the United States in the field of Tolerance and Non-Discrimination is in general satisfactory. There are nevertheless some evident exceptions, particularly that of Native Americans. (No action specified, no continuation of protocol for furthering investigations, nothing.) 79. READ THIS. Process of Assimilation as Genocide. 80. read this, very important about Native Legislation, Executive Order on Indian Sacred Sites lacks �legal teeth�. Actions are needed, tribal consultations are recommended with tribal governments, but no real action from the report. 81. Regards incompatibility between state, federal and local laws in regards to Native Religion. 82. Regards Conflicts in Sacred Sites. 83. Mount Graham Apaches and Black Mesa-Hopi and Dine�Recommendations. 84. Native American Prisoners. 85. More can be done. 86. Education., encouraging a culture of tolerance. 87. Media Campaign for greater sensitivity. 88. The value of interdenominational dialogue. Quotes out of the UN Report on Religious Intolerance: 3. The organization of official meetings presented problems inasmuch as the State Department confined its assistance to meetings held at the federal level, declaring that it was not competent to help with the Special Rapporteur's visits to the states; this highly regrettable lack of cooperation meant that few meetings with official state representatives were arranged. In fact, the meetings with the Governor of Utah, certain administrations, various committees (concerned with such matters as human rights or hate crimes) and legislators came about through the assistance of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, non-governmental organizations and private individuals. 5. The Special Rapporteur is unfortunately obliged to draw attention here to the fact that for the first time since he was appointed and embarked on a series of missions (China, Pakistan, Iran, India, Sudan, Greece, Australia, Germany), he came up against a series of obstacles the aim of which was to get his mission put off; he was also the object of various attempts to interfere and take control of his programme and of the activities of the organizations and persons assisting him. What is unacceptable is that these hindrances were the work of international officials of the United Nations, acting, it seems, either on their own initiative or in defence of State interests or certain lobbies. On the subject of these hindrances, a representative of the Permanent Mission of the United States of America to the United Nations Office at Geneva was at pains to tell the Special Rapporteur orally that the United States Government was not in any way responsible for the obstacles and hindrances. The Special Rapporteur greatly hopes that such attempts to undermine the independence of special rapporteurs will not be left without follow-up, particularly within the United Nations, and will not be repeated in the future. 2. "Non-establishment" of religion 18. The Supreme Court has interpreted the "non-establishment" clause of the First Amendment to prohibit official sponsorship of, support of, or active involvement in religious activity. This clause should promote religious freedom by limiting the influence of federal, state and local governments on religious thought and practice. It recognizes the right of an individual or group to be free from laws and governmental decisions which aid one religion, aid all religions, or prefer one religion over another (Walz v. Tax Commission, 397 US 664 (1970); Everson v. Board of Education, 330 US 1 (1947)). The clause serves to prevent both religious control over Government and political control over religion. ****Argument against Tribal Councils, invalidations of a rule of government, and the religious aspect of native sovereign rule are separate... in other words traditionals do not recognize a government without religious practices and tribal governments are not religious based, therefore, not traditional government. (21.) They regretted that international law was often seen to affect America's foreign diplomatic relations, but not its domestic constitutional law. They also recommended bridging the gaps between the Constitution and statutory protection of religious rights, while calling for the adoption in particular of a law along the lines of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which could be validated by the Supreme Court, or of a general law protecting freedom of religion or belief. C. Other matters 27. Many persons deplored the failure of the United States to ratify the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which includes provisions on freedom of religion or belief. We may note that 191 States have ratified this Convention, but that they do not include Somalia and the United States of America. This situation has been interpreted as a manifestation of isolationism and rejection of other people, and also as an attitude revealing a fear on the part of certain religious communities that if children were granted too many rights, those rights might subsequently be used against the parents. 28. In general, it appears that international human rights law, including treaties ratified by the United States, is seen as belonging solely to foreign affairs and not to domestic affairs and that domestic law de facto takes precedence over international law. As one academic said: "It partly reflects the American sense of superiority on human rights issues. Congress thinks we do just fine on religious liberty issues, and the rest of the world should not be telling us how to get it right." 31. It is noteworthy that these sources of information make no mention of the traditional beliefs of Native Americans (manifested in particular by their sacred tie to the earth), as distinct from the affiliation of part of this group with the Christian religion. According to Freedom of Religion and Belief: World Report by J. Sheen and K. Boyle (ed.) (June 1997), 47,000 Americans profess to belong to an indigenous American religious faith; approximately 46 per cent of Native Americans are Protestants and 21 per cent are Roman Catholics. Also not included are very small minorities in the domain of religion or belief. 37. Such behaviour by the media is very disturbing: these powerful means of communication have a decisive effect on the formation of American public opinion, and hence American society; some of those spoken to did not hesitate to assert that United States policy was decided, among other things, by the position in the media. The result is that most Americans are not only kept in a state of basic ignorance about Islam and Muslims, but are also insidiously and involuntarily conditioned by the media through negative representations of this community. It is therefore not surprising to find the following manifestations - direct or indirect, intentional or unintentional - of intolerance and discrimination, both racial and religious: (a) Acts of vandalism against mosques and Muslims' private property, verbal and physical attacks, discrimination in the field of employment, particularly as regards respect for religious practices, and above all against women wearing "Islamic" dress (the hijab), isolated acts of intolerance by public employees, such as the teacher in South Carolina who called on people to "kill Muslims". 39. Illustrates the depth in which Mr. Amor goes to describe the Nation of Islam, the various temperatures and differing feelings between groups. Highlights the acceptance of these differences and the role the outside media plays. 53. The Native Americans are without any doubt the community facing the most problematical situation, one inherited from a past of denial of their religious identity, in particular through a policy of assimilation, which most Native Americans insist on calling genocide (physical liquidation, religious conversion, attempts to destroy their traditional way of life, laying waste of land, etc.). _____________________________________ A C T I O N R E S O U R C E C E N T E R Box 2104, Venice, CA 90294 310.396.3254 (voice) * 310.392.9965 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED] * http://www.arcweb.org Mission: To spearhead and support campaigns that protect the environment, human rights and social justice; and to provide training and coordination for grassroots organizing, education and non-violent direct action. PGP key available ______________________________________ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit) Unenh onhwa' Awayaton http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
