The United Nations Human Rights Council yesterday unanimously adopted a Resolution on Freedom of Religion or Belief omitting any reference to the concept of “defamation of religion,” which has been used in some Islamic nations as a cover for the persecution of religious minorities–particularly Christians– and instead focuses on the individual’s right to freedom of belief.
AP via the WaPo reports:
GENEVA — The U.N.’s top human rights body has replaced its traditional condemnation of religious ‘defamation’ with a resolution underlining the right of individuals to freedom of belief.
The unanimous vote Thursday by the 47-member U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva was welcomed by free speech activists.
U.S.-based Human Rights First praised the resolution as “a huge achievement because for the first time in many years it focuses on the protection of individuals rather than religions.”
Previous resolutions backed largely by Muslim countries had sought to criminalize any criticism of religions that was deemed offensive by believers.
The nonbinding vote calls on countries to guarantee people’s right to have or adopt a religion or belief of their choice.
Reuters says:
Islamic countries set aside their 12-year campaign to have religions protected from “defamation”, allowing the U.N. Human Rights Council to approve a plan to promote religious tolerance on Thursday.
Western countries and their Latin American allies, strong opponents of the defamation concept, joined Muslim and African states in backing without vote the new approach that switches focus from protecting beliefs to protecting believers.
Since 1998, the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) had won majority approval in the council and at the United Nations General Assembly for a series of resolutions on “combating defamation of religion”.
Critics said the concept ran against international law and free speech, and left the way open for tough “blasphemy” laws like those in Pakistan which have been invoked this year by the killers of two moderate politicians in Pakistan.
Religion Clause has a link to the full text and posted a statement by the The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom:
(The USCIRF) welcomes the Council’s “significant step away from the pernicious ‘defamation of religions’ concept.” It explained:
The defamation concept undermines individual rights to freedom of religion and expression; exacerbates religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence; and provides international support for domestic blasphemy laws that often have led to gross human rights abuses. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has promoted this flawed concept at the United Nations for more than a decade.
USCIRF and others, including the State Department, members of Congress, and NGOs, have worked hard against the defamation of religions concept for years. USCIRF specifically applauds Secretary Clinton and her team for today’s result. We also thank Representatives Eliot Engel (D-NY), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Shelley Berkley (D-NV), and Frank Wolf (R-VA), for their leadership roles on this issue….