A large number of groups have called upon the United Nations to reject a proposal that would commit the U.N. to working to stamp out “religious defamation”.
The proposal, which comes from a group of countries with large Islamic majorities in their population, has been proposed to ban speech such as the series of Danish cartoons that were understood to be criticizing the Prophet Mohammed.
However, according to an article in the Washington Post:
“[A]ctivist groups say the [proposed resolution] — tabled by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC — is part of a growing offensive by the Islamic countries to impose their concepts of rights and religion on the rest of the world.
They argue that the concept of ‘defamation of religions’ is so vague that it can be used against any challenge to a religious tenet and bolster laws against blasphemy in authoritarian regimes where one religion holds sway.”
Read the full article here.