UN Proposal to
Criminalize Defamation of Islam
UN Watch
Step by step and notch by notch the UN
and the EU prepare themselves for Muslim rule. In so doing they sell out their
nations and peoples. The hour of
darkness is coming swiftly upon us, the night of which Christ declared no man
should work. The time is now to work as
never before the bring in the harvest, the have
children and to raise them as righteous seed unto the Lord. The time is now to store goods from these
days of plenty as we are swiftly coming to the seven years of the lean and
sickly kine.
Geneva, March
11, 2009 — A new U.N. resolution
circulated today by Islamic states would define any questioning of
Islamic dogma as a human rights violation, intimidate dissenting
voices, and encourage the forced imposition of Sharia law. (See
full U.N. text below.)
UN Watch obtained a copy of the
Pakistani-authored proposal after it was distributed today among
While non-binding, the resolution
constitutes a dangerous threat to free speech everywhere. It would ban any
perceived offense to Islamic sensitivities as a "serious affront to human
dignity" and a violation of religious freedom, and would pressure
U.N. member states -- at the "local, national, regional and international
levels" -- to erode free speech guarantees in their "legal and
constitutional systems."
It's an Orwellian text that distorts
the meaning of human rights, free speech, and religious freedom, and marks a
giant step backwards for liberty and democracy worldwide.
The first to suffer will be moderate
Muslims in the countries that are behind this resolution, like
Next to suffer from this
U.N.-sanctioned McCarthyism will be writers and journalists in the democratic
West, with the resolution targeting the media for the "deliberate
stereotyping of religions, their adherents and sacred persons."
Ultimately, it is the very notion of
individual human rights at stake, because the sponsors of this resolution seek
not to protect individuals from harm, but rather to shield a specific set of
beliefs from any question, debate, or critical inquiry.
The resolution's core premise -- that "defamation of religion" exists
as legal concept -- is a distortion. The law on defamation protects the reputations
of individuals, not beliefs. It also requires an examination of the truth or
falsity of the challenged remarks -- a determination that no one, especially
not the UN, is capable of undertaking concerning any religion.
Tragically, given that Islamic states
completely dominate the Human Rights Council, with the support of
non-democratic members like
___________________________________
Following is a copy of the draft
U.N. Human Rights Council resolution obtained by UN Watch. Prepared by
Human Rights Council Resolution
A/HRC/10/L.. Combating Defamation of Religions
The Human Rights
Council,
Reaffirming the pledge made by all States, under the Charter of the
United Nations, to promote and encourage universal respect for and observance
of all human rights and fundamental freedoms without distinction as to race,
sex, language or religion,
Reaffirming also that all human rights are universal, indivisible,
interdependent and interrelated,
Recalling the 2005 World Summit Outcome adopted by the General
Assembly in its resolution 60/1 of 24 October 2005, in which the Assembly
emphasized the responsibilities of all States, in conformity with the Charter
of the United Nations, to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for
all, without distinction of any kind and acknowledged the importance of respect
and understanding for religious and cultural diversity throughout the world,
Recognizing the valuable contribution of all religions to modern
civilization and the contribution that dialogue among civilizations can make
towards improved awareness and understanding of the common values shared by all
humankind,
Welcoming the resolve expressed in the United Nations Millennium
Declaration adopted by the General Assembly on 8 September 20006 to take
measures to eliminate the increasing acts of racism and xenophobia in many
societies and to promote greater harmony and tolerance in all societies, and
looking forward to its effective implementation at all levels,
Underlining in this regard the importance of the Durban
Declaration and Programme of Action adopted
by the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and
Related Intolerance, held in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, welcoming the
progress achieved in implementing them, and emphasizing that they constitute a
solid foundation for the elimination of all scourges and manifestations of racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,
Welcoming all international and regional initiatives to promote
cross-cultural and interfaith harmony, including the Alliance of Civilizations
and the International Dialogue on Interfaith Cooperation and their valuable
efforts towards the promotion of a culture of peace and dialogue at all levels,
Welcoming further the reports of the Special Rapporteur
submitted to the Council at its fourth, sixth and ninth sessions that highlight
the serious nature of the defamation of all religions and the need to
complement legal strategies;
Noting with deep
concern the instances of intolerance,
discrimination and acts of violence against followers of certain faiths,
occurring in many parts of the world, in addition to the negative
projection of certain religions in the media and the introduction and
enforcement of laws and administrative measures that specifically discriminate
against and target persons with certain ethnic and religious backgrounds, particularly
Muslim minorities following the events of 11 September 2001, and that
threaten to impede their full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms,
Stressing that defamation of religions is a serious affront
to human dignity leading to restriction on the freedom of religion of their
adherents and incitement to religious hatred and violence,
Noting with concern that defamation of religions, and
incitement to religious hatred in general, could lead to social
disharmony and violations of human rights, and alarmed at the
inaction of some States to combat this burgeoning trend and the
resulting discriminatory practices against adherents of certain religions and
in this context stressing the need to effectively combat defamation of
all religions and incitement to religious hatred in general and against Islam
and Muslims in particular,
Convinced that respect for cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic
diversity, as well as dialogue among and within civilizations, is essential for
global peace and understanding while manifestations of cultural and ethnic
prejudice, religious intolerance and xenophobia generate hatred and violence
among peoples and nations,
Underlining the important role of education in the promotion of
tolerance, which involves acceptance by the public of and its
respect for diversity,
Noting various regional and national initiatives to combat
religious and racial intolerance against specific groups and communities and
emphasizing, in this context, the need to adopt a comprehensive and
non-discriminatory approach to ensure respect for all races and religions,
Recalling its resolution 7/19 of 27 March 2008 and UNGA resolution
63/154 of 18 December 2008,
1. Takes note of the report of the High Commissioner on the compilation
of existing legislation and jurisprudence concerning defamation of and contempt
of religions and the report of the Special Rapporteur
on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related
intolerance presented during the 9th session of the Human Rights
Council;
2. Expresses deep
concern at the negative stereotyping and defamation of religions and
manifestations of intolerance and discrimination in matters of religion or
belief, still evident in the world, which have led to intolerance against the
followers of these religions;
3. Strongly deplores all
acts of psychological and physical violence and assaults, and incitement
thereto, against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, and such
acts directed against their businesses, properties, cultural centres and places of worship, as well as targeting of holy
sites, religious symbols and venerated personalities of all religions;
4. Expresses deep
concern at the continued serious instances of deliberate
stereotyping of religions, their adherents and sacred persons in
the media, as well as programmes and agendas
pursued by extremist organizations and groups aimed at creating and
perpetuating stereotypes about certain religions, in particular when condoned
by Governments;
5. Notes with deep
concern the intensification of the overall campaign of defamation of
religions, and incitement to religious hatred in general, including the ethnic
and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of the tragic
events of 11 September 2001; )
6. Recognizes that,
in the context of the fight against terrorism, defamation of religions,
and incitement to religious hatred in general have, become aggravating
factors that contribute to the denial of fundamental rights and
freedoms of members of target groups, as well as to their economic and social
exclusion;
7. Expresses deep
concern in this respect that Islam is frequently and wrongly
associated with human rights violations and terrorism and in this regard
regrets the laws or administrative measures specifically designed to control
and monitor Muslim minorities, thereby stigmatizing them and legitimizing the
discrimination they experience;
8. Deplores the
use of the print, audio-visual and electronic media, including the Internet,
and any other means to incite acts of violence, xenophobia or related
intolerance and discrimination towards any religion, as well as targeting
of religious symbols and venerated persons;
9. Emphasizes that,
as stipulated in international human rights law including articles 19 and 29 of
UDHR and 19 and 20 of ICCPR, everyone has the right to hold opinions
without interference, and has the right to freedom of expression, the exercise
of which carries with it special duties and responsibilities and may therefore
be subject to limitations as are provided for by law and are necessary for
respect of the rights or reputations of others, protection of national security
or of public order, public health or morals, and general welfare;
10. Reaffirms that
General Comment 15 of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial
Discrimination, in which the Committee stipulated that the prohibition of the
dissemination of all ideas based upon racial superiority or hatred is
compatible with freedom of opinion and expression, is equally applicable to the
question of incitement to religious hatred;
11. Strongly condemns all
manifestations and acts of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and
related intolerance against national or ethnic, religious and linguistic
minorities and migrants and the stereotypes often applied to them, including on
the basis of religion or belief, and urges all States to apply and, where
required, reinforce existing laws when such xenophobic or intolerant acts,
manifestations or expressions occur, in order to deny impunity for those who
commit such acts;
12. Urges all
States to provide, within their respective legal and constitutional systems,
adequate protection against acts of hatred, discrimination,
intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions,
and incitement to religious hatred in general, and to take all possible
measures to promote tolerance and respect for all religions and beliefs;
13. Underscores the
need to combat defamation of religions, and incitement to
religious hatred in general, by strategizing and harmonizing actions at
the local, national, regional and international levels through
education and awareness building;
14. Calls upon all
States to exert the utmost efforts, in accordance with their national
legislation and in conformity with international human rights and humanitarian
law, to ensure that religious places, sites, shrines and symbols are fully
respected and protected, and to take additional measures in cases where they
are vulnerable to desecration or destruction;
15. Calls for
strengthening international efforts to foster a global dialogue for the
promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect
for human rights and diversity of religions and beliefs, and urges States,
non-governmental organizations, religious leaders as well as the print and
electronic media to support and foster such a dialogue;
16. Appreciates
the High Commissioner for Human Rights for holding a seminar on freedom of
expression and advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to
discrimination, hostility or violence in October 2008, and requests her to
continue to build on this initiative, with a view to concretely contributing to
the prevention and elimination of all such forms of incitement and the
consequences of negative stereotyping of religions or beliefs, and their
adherents, on the human rights of those individuals and their communities;
17. Requests the
Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism,
racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to report on
all manifestations of defamation of religions, and in
particular on the serious implications of Islamophobia,
on the enjoyment of all rights by their followers, to the Council during its 12th
Session;
18. Requests the
High Commissioner for Human Rights to report to the Council at its 12th
Session on the implementation of the present resolution, including on the
possible correlation between defamation of religions and the
upsurge in incitement, intolerance and hatred in many parts of the world.