> I think that this is an important decision by the United Nation that should be opposed. The UN is wrong--in my opinion. People should have their freedom of speech protected. I agree with Sam Harris that not being allowed to opinionly and honestly discuss sacred religious beliefs that seem silly is the primary problem. In other words, making it illegal for someone to criticize a far fetched belief because someone may be offended is wrong. Beliefs that potentially influence our laws should be openly and publicly examined. Killing someone (or intimating someone) for practicing critical thinking and using their freedom of speech should be the only crime. In addition, I think that these kinds of laws only foster underground ridicule of religion especially one religion against another religion such Christianity vs Islam. I would rather make this emotionally explosive discussions open and public instead of festering behind closed church doors (or other doors). I also hope that common goals for humanity can dominate the conversations instead of how one religion or another should dominate and be beyond and excused from any criticism.
> Jason
> CFI UN Statement Press Release
> PRESS RELEASE
> For
> Immediate Release
> November
> 4, 2009
> Contact: Nathan Bupp
> Phone:
> (716) 636-4869 x 218
> E-mail: nb...@centerforinquiry.net
> Secularist Center for Inquiry
> Delivers Statement to UN Opposing “Defamation of
> Religions” Resolution
> New York, NY —The Center for
> Inquiry (CFI), a secularist think tank and NGO in special
> consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the
> United Nations, has delivered a statement to the chair of the
> Third Committee of the UN General Assembly strongly opposing the
> proposed "Combating the Defamation of Religions" resolution
> backed by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The
> resolution is expected to be considered by the Third Committee
> in coming days.
> The resolution has been sponsored each year
> by the 57-member OIC, who introduced it in 1999 as a resolution
> to combat the “Defamation of Islam.” The language
> was expanded in 2008 to include Christianity and Judaism. The
> effort has gained some traction with the General Assembly since
> 2005 when Danish newspapers published cartoons depicting the
> Islamic prophet Muhammad. But earlier this month, the UN's Human
> Rights Council in Geneva rejected the concept of "defamation of
> religions" by omitting this term from a compromise resolution on
> freedom of opinion and expression.
> The resolution in its current form is
> non-binding; rather than having the force of law, it urges
> member states of the UN to adopt laws prohibiting the
> "defamation of religion." However, outside of the General
> Assembly there is a movement afoot at the UN Human Rights
> Council in Geneva that would incorporate similar measures
> against "defamation of religions" into international treaties,
> thereby granting legal force to the resolution as part of
> international law.
> “This misguided resolution would turn
> human rights law on its head. International law protects
> individuals, not systems of religious belief,” said Derek
> C. Araujo, general counsel and representative to the United Nations for the Center for Inquiry.
> “Existing laws and norms already protect religious people
> as individuals from discrimination and abuse. This resolution
> serves the interests of those who would violate freedom of
> belief by stifling religious dissent and criticism.”
> Araujo says that the resolution would give
> cover to countries that silence, intimidate, or punish human
> rights activists, religious minorities, and nonbelievers.
> “This is a direct threat to the guarantees of freedom of
> speech and belief found in the Universal Declaration of Human
> Rights,” added Araujo.
> CFI’s statement to the UN Third
> Committee maintains that “it is possible to protect
> individual religious believers from discrimination without
> shielding religious belief systems from criticism, and without
> threatening the rights of religious dissidents, religious
> minorities, and nonbelievers.”
> In the interest of achieving this, the
> Center for Inquiry statement contains the following
> recommendations:
> Rather than hewing to the misguided and
> problematic idea of preventing “defamation of
> religions,” draw on the legal concept of “incitement
> to national, racial and religious hatred, hostility or
> violence,” which is grounded in existing international
> legal instruments.
> Ensure that any protection of religious
> believers against incitement must equally protect nonbelievers,
> who may be the targets of hateful expression on the basis of
> their disbelief or dissenting belief.
> Stipulate that protections against
> incitement must not restrict proselytizing, discussion,
> criticism or expressions of antipathy, dislike, ridicule, insult
> or abuse.
> The Center for Inquiry had previously
> submitted a position paper (“Islam and Human Rights”) to the
> Ninth Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in
> Geneva September of 2008 critiquing efforts led by the OIC to
> undermine the universality of human rights.
> CFI’s “Statement Opposing
> ‘Defamation of Religions’ Resolution in the UN
> General Assembly - October 2009” can be read in full at:http://www.centerforinquiry.net/unitednations/articles_and_books/stat...
> The Center for Inquiry/Transnational,
> a nonprofit, educational, advocacy, and scientific-research
> think tank based in Amherst, New York, is also home to the
> Council for Secular Humanism, founded in 1980; and the Committee
> for Skeptical Inquiry (formerly CSICOP), founded in 1976. The
> Center for Inquiry’s research and educational projects
> focus on three broad areas: religion, ethics, and society;
> paranormal and fringe-science claims; and sound public policy.
> The Center’s Web site iswww.centerforinquiry.net.
> ####
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