of their sex. In parallel, but coming from the same source, slaves are merely an object, a movable asset, because of their consubstantial inferiority – some would even say intrinsic. As a matter of consequence, the Mauritanian political and religious class – most of whom are descendants of slave traders – very swiftly labelled me apostate and condemned me, alleging that I attacked the religious feelings of Mauritanians, that I harmed the State safety and that I dared to belong or even to lead an illegal organisation. Most of the political leaders of my country advocated for death penalty, in application to the Sharia. Our symbolic burning of these books comes from a subversive tradition and counter-culture that is well rooted in the history of the arabic-muslim world, to which Mauritania claims to belong. It also conforms to the Convention of the United Nations on the rights of epxression, to which Mauritania is part. Our aim with such an act was to call out t the international community in general and the Muslim world in particular on two important facts: for Mauritania to deserve being qualified as a state with a rule of law, it should finally comply with the international law, to which it often hastens, with fuss and dishonesty. This country should also deserve being qualified as “Islamic” and conform to the rule of the Holy book, the Quran, with regards to equity, equality, justice, brotherhood between all human beings, as well as to the teachings of the Prophet Mohamed regarding the duty to support and help the poor and the oppressed, the love of one’s neighbour, the moving away from lie and falsehood, etc. Alas, dear fellow delegates, after our act of protest, the aforementioned leaders of our society and State called for, and incited our murder. This shows that the slogan of democracy and rule of law and the ploy of the ratifications of various conventions are but window-dressing to show a nice face to the international community without ever submitting to the people’s rights. This is permanent deception whose continuity is fed by double speech: in foreign language and in front of foreigners, the Mauritanian authorities use a civilised language in irreproachable conformity with human dignity and freedom; in Arabic language and among themselves, it leans on its racist and cast-based certainties and hides its infamy under the shield of religion!!! Ladies and Gentlemen, the performance of the Mauritanian governmental delegation and diplomatic mission before the UN Council of Human Rights during the UPR on 15-16 November 2012 backs up our previous observations, up to a point that it seems a caricature. Indeed, during their pathetic exercise, beyond the faults which the Mauritanian officials are used to inflict to us as democrats and human rights defenders, they added an immense fault on Islam and the Muslims from all over the world. They made Islam be responsible for the persistance of all injustices faced by fringes of the Mauritanian society who belong to the majority population yet are destitute – people with HIV/AIDS, women, slaves, former slaves or Hratin, non-Arabophone Black ethnic minorities, weakest links among Arabophones, etc. The peak was reached when the representatives of Mauritania took refuge behind the “incompatibility of the enforcement of economic, social and cultural rights with the rules of Islam, religion of the State and the people”.