Atheists, believers oppose ban on defamation of religion

[The Straight Story]

Atheists, believers oppose ban on defamation of religion

Associated Press
Published: March 26, 2009

GENEVA (AP) - Dozens of atheist and religious groups are urging governments to reject Islamic-backed calls for an international ban on defamation of religion.

Christian, Jewish and secular groups say the resolution being considered by the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva would restrict freedom of speech and worsen relations between faiths.

Muslim countries are angry over cartoons of Muhammad and Western criticism of Islamic law.

Bennett Graham of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argued that religious discrimination can be prevented with existing human rights laws.

Members of the U.S. Congress voicing opposition to the defamation ban include Arizona Republican Trent Franks, who says his Christian faith makes him determined to protect religious liberty.

http://www.wnct.com/nct/lifestyles/faith_values/article/atheists_believers_oppose_ban_on_defamation_of_religion/34387/

[JI7]

1. is the U.N. seriously considering this crap ?

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. It passed the Council vote, but it's not binding

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s top human rights body has approved a proposal by Muslim nations urging the passage of laws protecting religion from criticism.

Members of the Human Rights Council voted 23 in favor of a resolution Thursday to combat "defamation of religion." Eleven nations, mostly from the West, opposed the resolution and 13 countries abstained.

The resolution was proposed by Pakistan. Muslim countries have cited the inflammatory effect of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as an example of unacceptable free speech.

Critics say the resolution, while not binding, will have a chilling effect on free speech and may worsen relations between faiths.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iRHXSIoJJdXQpG3kPrRO2LWMnWTAD975RDM00

Text available here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/13691327/Defamation-of-Religion-Res-a-HRC-10-L-2-REV1

And they passed a similar one last year: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/27/news/UN-GEN-UN-Rights-Council.php

They pass things like this year after year in the General Assembly:

79. At the 39th meeting, on 11 November, the representative of Uganda, on behalf
of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the Organization
of the Islamic Conference, Belarus and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of),
introduced a draft resolution entitled “Combating defamation of religions”
(A/C.3/63/L.22), which read as follows:
...
In favour:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain,
Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chad, China, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire,
Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt,
El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras,
Indonesia, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan,
Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho,
Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania,
Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,
Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South Africa,
Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan,
Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab
Emirates, Uzbekistan, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen,
Zimbabwe.
Against:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus,
Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany,
Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein,
Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Micronesia (Federated States of), Monaco,
Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Palau, Poland, Portugal,
Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Samoa, San Marino,
Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, United States of America.
Abstaining:
Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Belize, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso,
Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Haiti,
India, Japan, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mexico, Mongolia, Namibia,
Nauru, Nepal, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Rwanda, Timor-
Leste, Trinidad and Tobago, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Vanuatu,
Zambia.

http://metamagician3000.blogspot.com/2009/02/full-text-of-defamation-of-religion.html

It gives them an excuse for anti-blasphemy laws - they get to say "the UN say we all ought to make blasphemy illegal".

[msongs]

2. it's a weak religion that cannot stand any criticism nt

[BlooInBloo]

3. The obvious conclusion follows.

:rofl:

[LiberalFighter]

4. Don't some of those Islamics that are offended by criticism of their religion

criticize other religions?

[The Straight Story]

5. don't confuse them with logic

:)

[LiberalFighter]

7. It worked for Kirk and Spock.

[Odin2005]

6. The cultural relativist idiots hate freedom of speech? What else is new?

These whiners in the Islamic world can go fuck themselves.

[MindPilot]

9. I always thought the UN was a body of generally progressive thought

Apparently not so much.

[cali]

10. The HRC has always been a car wreck

they tried to reform it a few years back, but failed miserably.