The UN and blasphemy law

[Existentialist1844]

The UN might approve a law forbidding people to speak out against religion, specifically Islam.

[Animavore]

Not going to happen.
Or, if it does, I'm guessing we'll be seeing the end of the U.N.

[Woodbutcher]

It wont pass. Who'd enforce it? Fuck'em.

[AshtonBlack]

If passed it would end the UN.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I'd love to see them try to pass it here. The ACLU would have a mass wank.

[klr]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8006548.stm

US boycotts UN racism conference

Washington has confirmed it will boycott a UN forum on racism in Geneva next week because of differences over Israel and the right to free speech.

The state department said the proposed text of the conference's guiding document remained unacceptable despite having been amended significantly.

The US and Israel quit a similar forum in Durban in 2001 when its draft document likened Zionism to racism.

Current language about "incitement to religious hatred" also alarms the US.

The five-day Durban Review Conference is due to open on Monday.

EU diplomats were still consulting on Saturday on whether to attend the conference. Canada and Israel said earlier that they would not attend.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has stirred outrage by repeatedly calling the Holocaust of the Jews a "myth", is the only prominent head of state so far scheduled to attend.

'Serious concerns'

The state department said it was "with regret" that the US had decided to boycott the conference.

"The text still contains language that reaffirms in toto the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action [DDPA] from 2001, which the United States has long said it is unable to support," it said in a statement.

"Its inclusion in the review conference document has the same effect as inserting that original text into the current document and re-adopting it.

"The DDPA singles out one particular conflict and prejudges key issues that can only be resolved in negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians.

"The United States also has serious concerns with relatively new additions to the text regarding 'incitement', that run counter to the US commitment to unfettered free speech."

Internal debate has raged in the US for weeks on whether to attend, the Associated Press news agency reports from Washington.

Pro-Israel groups vehemently opposed participation while human rights advocates and organisations like TransAfrica and members of the Congressional Black Caucus thought it was important to attend.

Immediately after the announcement, Democratic Congresswoman Barbara Lee, who heads the black caucus in Congress, said the group was "deeply dismayed" by the boycott.

"This decision is inconsistent with the administration's policy of engaging with those we agree with and those we disagree with..." she said.

"The US is making it more difficult for it to play a leadership role on UN Human Rights Council as it states it plans to do. This is a missed opportunity, plain and simple."

[Hermit]

In 1948 the United Nations Organisation adopted and published the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Consisting of 30 articles, it is a comprehensive safeguard against abuse for every and any individual on this planet. For instance, article 2 reads: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty." In conjunction with equality before the law and equal protection against any discrimination (article 7) and presumtion of innocence until proved guilty (article 11) as well as other safeguards itemised in the declaration, every human on this planet is adequately protected. We do not need additional measures if the declaration is adhered to.

The resolution combating defamation of religions ostensibly bolsters the rights listed in the defamation. In reality it does no such thing. The demand for "respect of religions and their protection from contempt" is actually a call to prohibit criticism of religions. As such, it contradict article 19 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights: "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."

It is of course not at all surprising that the resolution is being promoted by a block of nations that have a problem separating religion from government. It is ironic that these nations are notorious for systematically ignoring human rights, particularly - but not exclusive to - just over half of their population: women.

The resolution has been adopted, but at the moment it is nonbinding. If this travesty became binding it would be akin to a palace coup, and I think it would indeed be the end of the UNO.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

Ain't gonna happen. It (and anything like it) will get vetoed by the US. End of. It's just Ahmedinnerjacket stirring up shit.

[charlou]

Ahmedinnerjacket

[Xamonas Chegwé]

The latest on this farce.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8008572.stm

[Har]

So who were the ones cheering and who were the ones who walked out?

[Chinaski]

Europe and the other "Westerners" (US) walked out. I'm guessing the rest of the Middle East was cheering.

[Har]

Europe and the other "Westerners" (US) walked out. I'm guessing the rest of the Middle East was cheering.

Yeah, that much was obvious. I meant more in detail and I wondered who were the westerners who didn't walk out.

[Xamonas Chegwé]

The US didn't even go in the first place. See the BBC quote in the earlier post by klr.

[Kristie]

The US didn't even go in the first place. See the BBC quote in the earlier post by klr.

Kinda makes me even more proud to be an American.