Hmmm, will Hillary screw this up just to appease some in the Islamic world? Probably.
The OIC wants to impose its will on the world, they would like to have religious tolerance laws that silence any speech that talks ill of Islam! They would enjoy seeing it labeled as Blasphemy( Which results in death in many cases in Islamic countries).
Which basically it means that your free speech is at risk!
(Know your History, We as a country, have been through this before)
I would personally tell all these idiots spearheading this venture into stupidity to shove it, we will say what ever the fuck we want about what ever we want so kiss our collective Ass!
Allah was a pedophile, Islam is a religion of murderers and rapists, keep your Blasphemy laws to yourselves.
Phuck Islam !
Foxnews
A looming meeting with Islamic leaders hosted by the State Department has religious scholars and advocacy groups warning that the United States may "play into" the push by some Islamic nations to create new laws to stifle religious criticism and debate.
The meeting on religious tolerance, which is scheduled for mid-December, would involve representatives of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation -- a coalition of 56 nations which more or less represents the Muslim world.
Critics describe the get-together -- the first in a series -- as a Trojan horse for the long-running OIC push for restrictions on speech. They note the track record of nations that want the dialogue, including Egypt, where recent military action against Coptic Christians raised grave concerns about intolerance against religious minorities.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton originally announced the meeting this past July in Turkey, where she co-chaired a talk on religious tolerance with the OIC. The event was billed as a way to foster "respect and empathy and tolerance" among nations. Delegates from up to 30 countries, as well as groups like the European Union, are also invited.
A State Department official told FoxNews.com this week that the meeting is meant to combat intolerance while being "fully consistent with freedom of expression."
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Free Speech Concerns Ahead of Meeting With Muslim Nations on Religious Tolerance
Monday, July 25, 2011
Norway Prepares for Court Appearance by Suspect in Attacks
Anders Breivik, Douchebag extraordinare.
This guy is so stuck on himself it is ridiculous, he would like to wear a uniform at his hearing that he wants to be public, he copied the Unabombers manifesto as his own and added some major drivel over the top of it, He believes he is the Ultimate religious warrior - a Knight.
Unfortunately Norway does not have a death penalty, so this waste of a human being will be able to sit out the rest of his life in prison.
Lets hope Norway is at least smart enough to keep this whole trial out of the spotlot so as not to give Anders his soap box.
The New York Times
After a day of remembrance and self-examination for Norway, a small country shaken by the massacre of at least 93 of its people by one of its own, the nation braced on Monday for the first court appearance for the 32-year-old man who says he carried out the twin attacks that killed them...
Anders Behring Breivik, 32, the only suspect arrested, admits to the shootings on Friday on the island of Utoya and the fatal bombing of government offices in Oslo on the same day, his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, has told Norwegian news media. But he rejects “criminal responsibility.” Mr. Lippestad said that Mr. Breivik insists that he acted alone, and alone wrote a mammoth manifesto — rambling from a hostile historical look at Islam to recipes (and price lists) for bomb manufacture to his family’s pressure on him to date...
According to his lawyer, Mr. Breivik has requested to appear in some kind of a uniform during the hearing — the exact kind was not known — apparently seeking a global platform for his right-wing views.
Mr. Breivik also clearly wants to leave a legacy and thinks he will create some kind of mass following, said Tore Bjorgo, one of Norway’s most respected scholars of right-wing extremism. “He had this strange idea that he will provoke a mass following, despite the violence, which is why I put it in a Christian frame,” said Mr. Bjorgo, a professor at the Norwegian Police University College.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Gunman in Brazil kills 12 schoolchildren before killing himself
Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff lamented the deaths of "defenseless children."
"It's not in the nature of our nation to have these types of crimes," she said.
A Religious Man? so his suicide note would have you believe,
"If possible I want to be buried next to my mother. A follower of God must visit my grave at least once. He must pray before my grave and ask God to forgive me for what I have done,"
I'm sure people will come to his grave and do more than pray.
The Detroit Free press
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- A gunman roamed the halls of a Rio de Janeiro elementary school Thursday and killed 12 children, lining them up against a wall and shooting them in the head at point-blank range as he shouted, "I'm going to kill you all!"
It was the worst school shooting in Brazil -- and would have been deadlier if the gunman had not been shot in the legs by a police officer, who said the man then fell down some stairs and shot himself in the head.
Rio de Janeiro state's Secretariat of Health and Civil Defense said in a statement on its Web site that at least 12 other students were injured and taken to hospitals. At least two were in grave condition.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sikhs hope to take edge off over ceremonial dagger in Plymouth-Canton school
"It's not an assault weapon," said Tejkiran Singh, 47, of Canton, a Sikh community leader. "It's so small, so blunt. ... The whole purpose of wearing it is that it's a reminder of our spirituality."
So this came about in December, when a young kid brought a Kirpan to school with him.
What is a Kirpan you say, Not much just a ceremonial knife.
boys, after being baptised in the Sikh religion, are required to wear one at all times.
but... you are not supposed to bring weapons or anything resembling a weapon to school.
Ah but the school superintendent even said,
"the right of all students to practice their religion and wear religious symbols," the district will ban "all religious emblems that resemble a weapon."
Nice eh? To bad they just said that they can wear them in school now.
I guess if some of the Hezbollah supporters that live in Dearbornistan, send their kids to school with "Non working suicide vests" it will be O.K., you know they aren't real!
How about a mock AK-47, some Islamists praise those so much they put them on their Flag!
The Detroit Free Press
Tensions over a Sikh boy who brought a religious sword to an elementary school have prompted a public meeting tonight to introduce the Sikh religion to metro Detroiters.
Last month, controversy erupted after a fourth-grade boy at Bentley Elementary in Canton was found with a 3- to 5-inch saber.
After they are baptized, Sikh males are expected to carry the religious symbol, called a kirpan. The principal initially decided to allow the boy to have it, since it had a blunt edge and was a religious item. The district did not identify the boy.
But after concerns expressed by parents and a legal review, the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools district decided to ban the kirpan because it violated local, state and federal polices against bringing weapons or items that look like weapons to school.
That concerned some Sikh parents, who say the kirpan is a nonthreatening item that symbolizes their commitment to fighting against evils, such as greed. Similar disputes have erupted in other parts of the U.S.
"It's not an assault weapon," said Tejkiran Singh, 47, of Canton, a Sikh community leader. "It's so small, so blunt. ... The whole purpose of wearing it is that it's a reminder of our spirituality."
Monday, November 22, 2010
Newsweek Depiction of Obama as Lord Shiva Upsets Some Indian-Americans
Shiva, who is one of three pre-eminent gods in the Hindu religion
along with Brahma and Vishnu, is considered the destroyer of the world
Obamasiah, Destroyer of the United States.
Wow Newsweek you think that obama is a God?
No wonder the U.S. is so screwed up.
Hey Newsweek being President does not make you a God, a Demon yes, a God uh not so much.
Foxnews
Newsweek's depiction of President Obama on its latest cover has irked some Indian Americans who, fresh off Obama's visit to the world's largest democracy, are not happy with the image of the U.S. president as the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva.
The Newsweek cover shows Obama with several arms carrying policy issues while balancing on one leg. The headline reads: "God of All Things" with a subtitle, "Why the Modern Presidency May be too Much for One Person to Handle."
It was not to much for Pres Bush or even Bill Clinton, maybe Obama is just an out of touch Slacker!
Shiva, who is one of three pre-eminent gods in the Hindu religion
along with Brahma and Vishnu, is considered the destroyer of the world, which must end, metaphorically speaking, in order to be reborn as a more universalistic place. However, the god's purpose is not to foretell an apocalyptic ending.
Newsweek, which could not be reached for comment, did not have the image posted on the magazine's website on Sunday.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Missouri Town Block Protesters From Picketing Soldier's Funeral
HA HA !
Phelps rejects, get rejected !
People like Phelps and his lackeys, Are just so out of touch.
These ingrates deserve the same treatment they give out, at their Funerals !
May they all suffer when it is turn.
Foxnews
Members of a small Missouri town banded together Saturday to block a controversial pastor and members of his Westboro Baptist Church from protesting the funeral of a fallen U.S. soldier, Fox4kc.com reports.
Hundreds of residents in Weston, Mo. -- as well as people as far away as California and Australia -- rallied in support of Sgt. First Class C.J. Sadell, who died from injuries suffered during a surprise attack in Afghanistan.
The residents sought to block Fred Phelps, leader of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., and his followers from picketing Sadell’s funeral, according to the station.
"We got everybody here early so we could take up all the parking spots," Rebecca Rooney of Weston, Mo., told Fox4kc.com. "We did that so Mr. Phelps wouldn't have a contingency that was really close."
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Barack Obama defends plans for Ground Zero mosque
"As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as everyone else in this country.
Mr Obama , I believe everyone agrees with you , Muslims have the same right to "PRACTICE" their Religion !
But Practicing that Religion so close to Ground zero ,the Spot where 19 Militant Islamic ,radical, extremist Nutbags Decided to prove their point in the Name of Allah And the Holy Koran , which resulted in the Murders of Nearly 3000 Innocent Americans , IS JUST NOT RIGHT !
You sir are Misguided , Practicing religion Does not give you the right to slap people in the Face with it , which is all they are trying to do !
This shithole will be built , I'm sure of that , The Liberal assclowns will see to that ! and you can bet that the day that it opens their will be celebrations throughout the Muslim world , They will have achieved one of their greatest Conquests !
The Guardian.co.uk
The US president, Barack Obama, has defended controversial plans to build a mosque near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, saying to oppose them would be un-American.
Prominent Republicans have led protests against the construction of an Islamic cultural centre and mosque two blocks from the site of the former World Trade Centre. The proposed building would not be visible from Ground Zero.
Obama acknowledged that "sensitivities" surrounded the 9/11 site, which he described as "hallowed ground", but he said Muslims had the same right to practise their religion "as anyone else".
In a speech at a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan, he said: "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practise their religion as everyone else in this country.
"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community centre on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances.
"This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable."
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Marijuana plantation in Uganda convent probed
Holy Herb ?
Oh yeah , and the Nuns Know Nothing .
BBC
Uganda police are investigating after a marijuana plantation was uncovered in the garden of a convent.
A regional police chief told the BBC that plants covering one acre had been found and uprooted in the southern Masaka district.
Two nuns and two porters have been questioned.
One of the nuns has been quoted by local media as saying the marijuana was used to treat farm animals, such as pigs.
Southern regional commander Emmanuel Muhuirwe told the BBC News website that only the porters had been arrested - not the nuns.
He said the nuns had been questioned because the garden was part of the convent.
But he said no-one had been charged yet and the porters have been released on bail.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Devotees of Florida Man Sickened After Drinking Mucus of Giant African Snail
O.K. it is kinda a slow news day , Or maybe I am still so sick that I am borderline delusional !
I noticed a few odd stories in the first fifteen minutes of browsing this evening soooo...
Escargot Snot anyone ?
Foxnews
MIAMI — Devotees of a Miami man who claims to practice a traditional African religion say they were sickened when they drank the mucus of a giant African snail.
Federal authorities in January raided Charles L. Stewart's home after receiving complaints. Stewart has not been criminally charged, but prosecutors and state and federal wildlife agencies are investigating. The giant African snail is prohibited in the U.S. without special approval.
Experts say it devastates new ecosystems. The snail grows up to 10 inches long, can reproduce on its own and can eat even plaster.
Stewart tells The Miami Herald he means no harm, and his religion uses the snails in healing ceremonies.
Followers said they got violently ill, losing weight and developing strange lumps in their stomachs.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Up to 300 feared dead in central Nigeria clashes
Hausa-Fulani herders from surrounding hills attacked at about 3 a.m. (10 p.m. EST), shooting into the air before cutting those who came out of their homes with machetes.
Some extreme antics from the religion of Peace !
Women and Children chopped up with Machetes , not a nice way to go , Ultimately what this shows is that Muslims are truly Savages no matter where you go ! this could have happened in any country where there is a large Muslim poppulation .
It does not take much to insight a group of Muslim radicals into a Killing frenzy , just the thought of a Christian in the vicinity of Muslim territory Pushes these animals over the Edge !
(Reuters) - Nigeria's acting president Sunday ordered the security forces to hunt down those behind clashes involving Muslim herders and Christian villagers in which more than 300 people may have been killed.
The latest unrest in Nigeria's central Plateau state comes at a difficult time, with acting leader Goodluck Jonathan trying to assert his authority while ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua remains too sick to govern the oil-producing nation.
Villagers in Dogo Nahawa, just south of the state capital Jos, said Hausa-Fulani herders from surrounding hills attacked at about 3 a.m. (10 p.m. EST), shooting into the air before cutting those who came out of their homes with machetes.
A Red Cross official said at least two other nearby communities were also targeted, in an area close to where sectarian clashes killed hundreds of people in January, but that it was too early to give an overall death toll.
A Reuters witness counted more than 120 bodies -- most lying in Dogo Nahawa, others taken to mortuaries in Jos -- but Plateau State Commissioner for Information Gregory Yenlong said more than 300 people, including women and children, had died.
Jonathan put the security forces on red alert to try to prevent reprisal attacks spreading into neighboring states.
"Reports reaching us indicated marauding bands launched a flurry of attacks on certain communities in the state, causing considerable death and injury," Jonathan's office said.
"The Acting President ... has directed that the security services undertake strategic initiatives to confront and defeat these roving bands of killers," it said in a statement.
Some of the bodies seen by the Reuters witness -- including those of women and children -- were charred, others had machete wounds across their faces. Aid workers said some had been shot.
"The shooting was just meant to bring people from their houses and then when people came out they started cutting them with machetes," said Dogo Nahawa resident Peter Jang, women crying behind him.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Curfew in north Liberia after religious clashes
More ignorant clashes between two opposing religions , Christians and Muslims .
That is BOTH sides are Ignorant !
MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia's government has imposed a curfew in the northern county of Lofa after religious clashes killed four there on Friday.
The fighting near the Guinean border was the third outbreak of violence between Muslim and Christian communities in West Africa this year.
"The Liberia National Police, the Emergency Response Unit and United Nations Military Mission in Liberia have since been deployed in the affected areas, and a dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed," the government said in a statement.
The violence erupted in the town of Vionjama after the body of a child "with body parts extracted" was found near a mosque, the statement said.
The statement said the ensuing clashes had led to some deaths, but did not specify how many.
A doctor at the Talawayon hospital in Vionjama said four people had died of bullet wounds and that another 18 people were being treated for injuries.
Witnesses told Reuters on Friday that rioters had burned down the Catholic, Baptist and Episcopal churches in the area.
Earlier in February at least three people were killed in clashes between Christians and Muslims in southeastern Guinea. In January, more than 400 people died in religious violence in the Nigerian town of Jos.
Human rights observers say violence that is triggered by religious incidents in the first instance often becomes politicized, and can involve disputes over land or property.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Muslims Angry Over U.S. Military 'Jesus' Rifles
HAHAHA ! This is Hilarious .
Not the fact that our Boys are shooting at Muslims with Guns that have versus of the Bible on them , but that CAIR has their panties in a bunch over it .
What is the Difference between that and killing in the name of Mohammed and Allah ?
Foxnews
Muslim groups reacted angrily Wednesday after it emerged that the U.S. military is using combat rifle sights inscribed with coded Biblical references.
Army officials have said they will investigate whether a Michigan defense contractor violated federal procurement rules by stamping references to Bible verses on the gun sights used by American forces to kill enemy fighters in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Leave it to my People back in Michigun , to do this ,Trijicon " You guys are Awesome "
The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations on Wednesday said the continued use of the sights with the religious references would send a negative message to the Muslim world.
"The use of military equipment with hidden Bible references sends the false message to Muslims worldwide that we are at war with Islam," said CAIR Legal Counsel Nadhira Al-Khalili. "In addition, these sights are a potential recruiting tool for anti-American forces, endanger our troops and alienate our Muslim allies. They should we withdrawn as soon as logistically possible."
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Saudi Arabia and Egypt the most religious repressive regimes
What a shocker.
A Pew study of the religious tolerance found the the 10 most repressive countries with regard to religious tolerance are muslim majority countries. Saudi Arabia came in at number 1, Iran closely followed in at number 2, Egypt at number 3 and the rest are some sh*t holes in the Middle East and North Africa. Reuters
DALLAS (Reuters) - U.S. allies Saudi Arabia and Egypt are among 10 mostly Muslim nations whose governments impose the most curbs on religion, according to a report on Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
Afghanistan's government also ranked poorly, highlighting a potentially sensitive diplomatic flashpoint as President Barack Obama sends more U.S. troops to the Central Asian country to quell a growing insurgency.[...]
The first index ranked 10 mostly Muslim countries as "very high." It also included China and mostly Buddhist Myanmar.
No. 1 oil exporter and U.S. Middle East ally Saudi Arabia was ranked the most restrictive, followed by U.S. adversary Iran. Pew noted both impose limits on minority faiths and "enforce strict interpretations of Islamic law."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The Religion of Peace's idea of religious outreach:
Russian Priest and Critic of Islam shot to death in Church.
Maldives: Legislators ask President to ban non-Muslim worship.
Seizure of 15,000 Bibles in Malaysia stuns Christians.
Iran frees 2 female Christians after 9 months in Evin Prison; could still face charges of apostasy and proselytizing.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Italy, Vatican in uproar over court crucifix ruling
I Have never been one for religion of any Kind ! saying that I also have never been offended when seeing a Crucifix ! Or any symbol Of religion of ANY Kind !
much like most of you reading this , I would never walk into a Place steeped in religion and claim being offended , yet Muslims do it every chance they get !
Intolerance thy name is Islam !
I wonder how the Muslims would like it if everyone not of Islam , Became offended by their Mosques and their religious Symbols they like to plaster wherever they can ! it is just something to think about ! Turnabout is fairplay !
ROME (Reuters) - The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that crucifixes should be removed from Italian classrooms, prompting Vatican anger and sparking uproar in Italy, where such icons are embedded in the national psyche.
"The ruling of the European court was received in the Vatican with shock and sadness," said Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, adding that it was "wrong and myopic" to try to exclude a symbol of charity from education.
The ruling by the court in Strasbourg, which Italy said it would appeal, said crucifixes on school walls -- a common sight that is part of every Italian's life -- could disturb children who were not Christians.
Italy has been in the throes of national debate on how to deal with a growing population of immigrants, mostly Muslims, and the court sentence is likely to become another battle cry for the center-right government's policy to restrict newcomers.
"This is an abhorrent ruling," said Rocco Buttiglione, a former culture minister who helped write papal encyclicals.
"It must be rejected with firmness. Italy has its culture, its traditions and its history. Those who come among us must understand and accept this culture and this history," he said.
The Vatican spokesman said it was sad that the crucifix could be considered a symbol of division and said religion offered a vital contribution to the moral formation of people.
Members of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government bristled, weighing in with words such as "shameful," "offensive," "absurd," "unacceptable," and "pagan."
Friday, April 17, 2009
White house asks Georgetown University to cover up Jesus
Will the White House make a similar request if Obama were to visit a mosque? Washington Times
When President Obama gave his economics speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday, several folks noticed something was missing.
That "something" was an ancient monogram -- the letters IHS -- that symbolizes the name of Jesus. It was missing from a wooden archway above the dais in Gaston Hall where the president delivered his 45-minute speech.[...]
I contacted the university this morning to ask why the monogram -- in this post-Easter season -- was hidden as its absence had been noted by several bloggers, including Dawn Eden -- formerly of the New York Post -- on her dawn patrol blog.
Julie Bataille from the university's press office e-mailed me that the White House had asked that all university signage and symbols behind the stage in Gaston Hall be covered.
"The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they've done for other policy speeches," she wrote. "Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn't high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."
Monday, April 6, 2009
NATO Chief, Rasmussen: Stpe Religious prejudice
But what kind of religious prejudice was Rasmussen referring to? The prejudice that islam displays to every other religion in the world or the supposed "islamophobia"? AP
ISTANBUL (AP) — The incoming head of NATO called for a balance between free speech and respect for religious feelings after a dispute over his support for the right to caricature the Prophet Muhammed had threatened his appointment.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who overcame objections from Turkey about his suitability for the alliance top job, said he will pay close attention to religious sensibilities when he becomes NATO secretary-general in August. His stance over the caricatures had angered Muslims around the world.
"I would never myself depict any religious figure, including the Prophet Muhammad, in a way that could hurt other people's feelings," said Fogh Rasmussen at a conference in Istanbul, Turkey.
"I respect Islam as one of the world's major religions," said Fogh Rasmussen, wearing a sling after dislocating his shoulder in an accident earlier Monday.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
U.N. body adopts resolution on religious defamation
Well there you go ! I find it very disturbing that a Body of the U.N. Has catered to the Interests of a single Belief , By passing a resolution that calls for Any religious "defamation" to be labeled a Human rights Violation !
The U.N. has now Taken itself to a new low , And has rendered the entire U.N. body Irrelevant to the rest of the Non Muslim World .
The U.N. truly needs to go , And the rest of the "Normal" world needs to stand up against the OIC and all their silly resolutions they push .
Will there now be more lawsuits by Islamic organizations ? Probably .
....
GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations forum on Thursday passed a resolution condemning "defamation of religion" as a human rights violation, despite wide concerns that it could be used to justify curbs on free speech in Muslim countries.
The U.N. Human Rights Council adopted the non-binding text, proposed by Pakistan on behalf of Islamic states, with a vote of 23 states in favor and 11 against, with 13 abstentions.
Western governments and a broad alliance of activist groups have voiced dismay about the religious defamation text, which adds to recent efforts to broaden the concept of human rights to protect communities of believers rather than individuals.
Pakistan, speaking for the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said a "delicate balance" had to be struck between freedom of expression and respect for religions.
The resolution said Muslim minorities had faced intolerance, discrimination and acts of violence since the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, including laws and administrative procedures that stigmatize religious followers.
"Defamation of religious is a serious affront to human dignity leading to a restriction on the freedom of their adherents and incitement to religious violence," the adopted text read, adding that "Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism."
It called on states to ensure that religious places, sites, shrines and symbols are protected, to reinforce laws "to deny impunity" for those exhibiting intolerance of ethnic and religious minorities, and "to take all possible measures to promote tolerance and respect for all religions and beliefs."
Sunday, March 1, 2009
UN anti-blasphemy measures have sinister goals, observers say
If none of you have read Robert Spencer's "Stealth Jihad" it is well worth the time ! He writes of how the Islamic Council's are trying to impose there will upon the west through the Stealth Jihad ,(behind our backs ) Using the courts and whatever means necessary to Stop all "Bad" things said toward Islum ! to the point of trying to make sure that a 'Non-Muslim" never speaks about Islum , Because we are not capable of understanding it ? They are one step closer today with this U.N. Vote !
Hey Muslims ! Kiss my American Free speaking Ass !
P.S. Mohammed Was a Pedophile ! And he was a cross dressing Queen !canada.com
....
Islamic countries Monday won United Nations backing for an anti-blasphemy measure Canada and other Western critics say risks being used to limit freedom of speech.
Combating Defamation of Religions passed 85–50 with 42 abstentions in a key UN General Assembly committee, and will enter into the international record after an expected rubber stamp by the plenary later in the year.
But while the draft’s sponsors say it and earlier similar measures are aimed at preventing violence against worshippers regardless of religion, religious tolerance advocates warn the resolutions are being accumulated for a more sinister goal.
“It provides international cover for domestic anti-blasphemy laws, and there are a number of people who are in prison today because they have been accused of committing blasphemy,” said Bennett Graham, international program director with the Becket Fund, a think tank aimed at promoting religious liberty.
“Those arrests are made legitimate by the UN body’s (effective) stamp of approval.”
Canada and other Western countries emphasize the distinction between granting an “idea” rights - and defending the right of people not to be discriminated against.
“Canada rejects the basic premise that religions have rights; human rights belong to human beings,” said Catherine Loubier, spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.
“The focus (here) should not be on protecting religions, but rather on protecting the rights of the adherents of religions, including of people belonging to religious minorities, or people who may choose to change their religion, or not to practice religion at all.”
Canada says governments have abused laws against defamation or contempt of religions to “prosecute and imprison journalists, bloggers, academics students and peaceful political dissidents.”
The Iranian parliament, for example, is currently weighing a draft amendment to its penal code that would impose capital punishment for apostasy.
But in an irony given Canada’s stance, an anti-blasphemy law remains in the Criminal Code. Experts point out it has not been used for a prosecution in more than 70 years.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
UN anti-blasphemy measures have sinister goals, observers say
The Combating Defamation of Religions Resolution which was passed on Monday by the UN General Assembly has two goals.
1. To make it illegal to critize islam
2. To stop people linking islam with terrorist attacks which are carried out in its name.
I wonder which 42 countries absented from voting. They could've stopped the resolution if they had voted against it. Canada.com From Jihad WatchUNITED NATIONS - Islamic countries Monday won United Nations backing for an anti-blasphemy measure Canada and other Western critics say risks being used to limit freedom of speech.
All the people who are in prison because of blasphemy laws are all in islamic countries....
Combating Defamation of Religions passed 85-50 with 42 abstentions in a key UN General Assembly committee, and will enter into the international record after an expected rubber stamp by the plenary later in the year.
But while the draft's sponsors say it and earlier similar measures are aimed at preventing violence against worshippers regardless of religion, religious tolerance advocates warn the resolutions are being accumulated for a more sinister goal.
"It provides international cover for domestic anti-blasphemy laws, and there are a number of people who are in prison today because they have been accused of committing blasphemy," said Bennett Graham, international program director with the Becket Fund, a think tank aimed at promoting religious liberty.
"Those arrests are made legitimate by the UN body's (effective) stamp of approval."Passage of the resolution is part of a 10-year action plan the 57-state Organization of Islamic Conference launched in 2005 to ensure "renaissance" of the "Muslim Ummah" or community.
While the current resolution is non-binding, Pakistan's Ambassador Masood Khan reminded the UN's Human Rights Council this year that the OIC ultimately seeks a "new instrument or convention" on the issue. Such a measure would impose its terms on signatory states.
"Each time the resolution comes up, we get a measure of where the world is on this issue, and we see that the campaign has been ramped up," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of the Geneva-based monitoring group UN Watch.
While this year's draft is less Islam-centric that resolutions of earlier years, analysts note it is more emphatic in linking religion defamation and incitement to violence.
That "risks limiting a broad range of peaceful speech and expression," Neuer argues.
The 2008 draft "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."
It also laments "Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism."
