A/55/280/Add.1
for implementing them, must not affect religious
communities, and in particular minority religious
communities, whether in their enjoyment of their
rights, including religious rights (deriving either from
minority status or from citizenship) or in their ability to
integrate naturally into Turkish society, of which they
are a fundamental component, and they must be
allowed to maintain their own identity;
(g) Minority religious communities should be
protected from any political manipulation in the
context of Turkey’s foreign affairs;
(h) The Government should undertake a true
dialogue with minority religious communities so as
better to understand their needs and to promote a
climate of respect and trust;
(i) The Government should provide for the
effective protection and promotion of religious
diversity, by ensuring respect for diversity both
between and within different religions. It is particularly
important that the State should allow room for the
Alawis to express their religion;
(j) A broad campaign should be undertaken to
educate and sensitize society and its different
components to the values and principles of tolerance
and of non-discrimination with respect to minority
religious communities and to counter religious
fanaticism, whether in the media, in the schools
(curricula and textbooks) or in political debate. In this
respect, it is particularly important for the Government
to ensure that religious instruction, whatever the
religion concerned, provided in public and private
institutions alike is such as to foster tolerance and nondiscrimination and that it is not used to promote
extremism and intolerance;
(k) Turkey should take advantage of the
technical cooperation services of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Human Rights in the area of
freedom of religion and belief, with particular attention
to minorities.
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