Oral Intervention of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church

Submitted to the 55th Session of the UN Commission on Human Rights Geneva Switzerland Item 11 (e) Religious Intolerance April 13, 1999 Read by Liberato C. Bautista and Peggy Francis Scott Dear Madam Chair: I am speaking on behalf of the General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church. Our church has a long standing commitment to and solidarity with Indigenous Peoples and against religious intolerance. It is our church's policy "to support the needs and aspirations of America's native peoples as they struggle for their survival and the maintenance of the integrity of their culture in a world intent upon their assimilation, Westernization, and absorption of their lands and the termination of their traditional ways of life" (1996 Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church, p.181). Ms. Peggy Francis Scott continues my statement: The traditional Dineh living in Black Mesa, a remote region of northeastern Arizona, in the United States are a spiritual people whose identity, ways of being, and ways of knowing and doing are intimately bound to the land. Dineh religiosity is inseparably bound to the land. Every fabric of Dineh daily life is intrinsically woven to this land and the earth. We come before you as a people proud of our tradition and our religiosity. But we also come with wounded souls and broken spirits. Our religious identities and constructions are intimately tied to the land we live on. When our land is wounded, our religion is wounded. When our spirits are broken, our spirituality is broken. Madam Chair, The traditional Dineh welcomes the report of Mr. Abdelfattah Amor [Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance on his visit to the United States early last year (E/CN.4/1999/58/Add.1)]. Mr. Amor inscribed in his report some of the hitherto unheard voices, pleas and dreams of Indigenous Peoples of the world. His visit in Black Mesa is historic and symbolic in that, at a low point in the struggle of our people, he lifted our hopes, awakened our

dreams, and lent an understanding ear to our prophecies. But more remains to be said about the Dineh situation. Mr. Amor is on target in his observation that the jurisprudence of the US Supreme Court points to "no enforceable safeguards for worship at sacred sites" (52-55). In our case, Dineh sacred sites intermingle with our homes, livestock, and farms. Today, more than 12,000 Dineh have been relocated from their homes, plucked away from their livelihood and their sacred ritual and burial sites. Our religion binds us inseparably to our land which we believe is sacred. Coal mining violates the integrity of our land and therefore tears apart every fabric of our religious identity. The Navajo relocation program instituted by the US government deprives our people of ancestral lands and their inherent property rights. It also severs our sacred ties to our land and denies us the venue to practice our religious ceremonies. The unsustainable environmental practices of runaway multinational mining corporations inflict environmental racism upon us. Current US governmental laws such as the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) and the Antiquities Act remain to be enforced. Madam Chair, The US government must recognize that no territorial settlement should ever deprive Indigenous Peoples of their right to remain on their traditional land or to practice their religion thereupon. Our land is sacred and we do not believe it should be expropriated from us. The US government cannot and must not subordinate our survival as a people to economic interests whose dividends we do not partake from. The tribal councils operate on behalf of these economic interests more than in support of Indigenous Peoples interests. Our religious ties to our land requires that we remain its caretakers. This is the instruction given to us by our Creator. We do not want US governmental laws to deny us our religiosity. We are a people who wish to be in community with other peoples of the earth. We wish to manage the bounty of our land for ourselves and our children's use. We, much like you, wish for a good education and a religiously tolerant world for our children. We wish for a life in which we are able to sustain our livelihood and practice our religiosity, in order to live in peace, dignity, security, and harmony. How we use our land and grazing areas must be a decision our people make. The barbed wire fencing of our lands forces us to live as prisoners and trespassers on our own ancestral land. Mr. Bautista will conclude this statement: Madam Chair, We wish to draw your attention to the reference in the Report about the Dineh being a "small religious minority in a democracy shaped by the will of the majority." Why was "religious minority" used in the same sentence as "democracy"? The Dineh are part of the US democratic process, that is clear. They could be described as a minority within that majority. But what is meant by describing the Dineh as a "religious minority?" We ask, a religious minority of what majority?

Who is the religious majority in the United States? This reference may serve to further marginalize the Dineh. The United Methodist Church prays for a rule of law for all peoples based on respect for justice, human rights, religious freedom and tolerance. We therefore lend our continued support in strengthening the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance. We urge the Commission to mandate an extension of the investigation of religious intolerance in the United States. In addition, we support the recommendation of the Special Rapporteur to change his title to Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief. We further support the call of our colleague indigenous NGOs for the appointment of a Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Human Rights. Thank you Madam Chair and distinguished delegates. ---------------------------------------------------------------------The General Board of Church and Society of The United Methodist Church 777 United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 USA Tel: +212.682.3633 Fax: +212.682.5354 Web: www.umc-gbcs.org The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) is the international public policy and social advocacy agency of The United Methodist Church. It is an international NGO in consultative status (roster) with ECOSOC. This statement is released on the approval of The Rev. Dr. Thom White Wolf Fassett, General Secretary of GBCS. Only the General Conference of The United Methodist Church speaks for the entire denomination.