Defamation of Religion
69Introduction
I heard about this on the radio. The ACLJ, (American Center for Law and Justice), is trying to block the Defamation of Religion Act from being implemented into International Law. The OIC, (Organization of the Islamic Conference) are the ones pushing for it to become law.
According to the ACLJ, if the law is implemented, it would then be against international law to say that Jesus is God, the Son of God, or the way to God. This is merely because it would offend Muslims.
I am going to try and decipher what I can find of this UN resolution to see what it actually says. I can't seem to find the complete text of it, but only parts of it posted here and there. If anyone knows where I can find the complete resolution, please let me know.
One of the Cartoon Photos
July 23, 2008
A Pakistani diplomat sat before a crowd at a Capital Hill hearing room. Her name is Asma Fatima, and she was considering if a man sitting on her left should be jailed. At the time there was a panel discussion going on which was convened by a group of congressman to educate some of their colleagues about religion freedom issues.
Canadian Ezra Levant, who republished Danish cartoons of Muhammad in the Western Standard, his now defunct magazine, was the man sitting on Asma's left. The republishing of the cartoons resulted in two complaints of "discrimination" before the Alberta Humans Rights Commission. One complaint was removed, but the other continues. Levant may have to pay a huge fine, be ordered not to talk disparagingly about "radical Islam" for the rest of his life, and offer a public apology if the complaint holds up.
Asma struggled to find the right words to express the depth of emotions which were at stake. She said,"The Cartoon issue really, really hurt Muslims around the world. There are certain things that should not be said." Even so, she had to conclude that a journalist should be off the hook.
Ezra Levant's Opening Statement
Another Cartoon
The First Resolution and More
The first Defamation of Religions resolution was brought before the UN by Pakistan in 1999. It was actually titled; The Defamation of Islam. The title changed later, in an attempt to include all religions, while the texts still single out Islam. The resolutions have passed the Human Rights Council each year since. The Islamic nations succeeded in a change to the mandate of the UN's special rapporteur on freedom of expression. It is now also his duty to "report on instances where the abuse of the right of freedom of expression constitutes an act of racial or religious discrimination."
Definitions
The following definitions are defined according to the Defamation of Religion resolution.
Islamophobia
Definition of Islamophobia
"[Islamophobia] refers to a baseless hostility and fear vis-à-vis Islam, and as a result a fear of and aversion towards all Muslims or the majority of them. It also refers to the practical consequences of this hostility in terms of discrimination, prejudices and unequal treatment of which Muslims (individuals and communities) are victims and their exclusion from major political and social spheres. The term was invented in response to a new reality: the increasing discrimination against Muslims which has manifested itself in recent years".
Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is characterized by its long existence and capacity to adapt to new social and political contexts, as well as the acute levels it has reached throughout history. Jews have been demonized and persecuted for religious, racial, ideological and political reasons throughout history. The resilience and rise of anti-Semitism are linked to three key factors: its historical depth, the interpretation and impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the rising of anti-religious secularism.
Christianophobia
The aggressive proselytism of certain evangelical groups, particularly from North America, has resulted in reactions of resistance and hostility towards Christianity in South America, Africa and Asia. In India, in particular, the instrumentalization by such evangelical groups of freedom of expression to openly disseminate literature against Hinduism, denigrating its values and traditions, and inciting the destruction of symbols of Hinduism, has favoured the emergence of an identity resistance towards this foreign influence which, in turn, is viewed as a threat to the ancestral identity of India as an Hindu nation. The conversion of Dalits to Christianity to escape their deeply rooted discrimination is to be analysed in this context.
One More Cartoon
Ezra Levant and My Conclusion
Ezra Levant recently posted on a blog about something he had heard from another journalist. The first part is below.
"I haven't seen any public report about it yet, but a journalist at CTV told me that the radical Edmonton Council of Muslim Communities, part of the Saudi values coalition that hauled me to the Alberta Human Rights Commission, has threatened to appeal my acquittal on "hate speech" charges for publishing the Danish cartoons of Mohammad in 2006."
To read the whole blog post click here.
Ezra Levant is a journalist. He republished the cartoons of Muhammad that previously were published by a Danish newspaper. Freedom of speech is what's at stake in all this. All it takes is for a Muslim to say, "I find offense at that," to bring charges against a person. This also applies to the Muslim terrorists.
If I speak against Al Quaeda, and call them evil and wicked, I could be brought up on charges according to the Defamation of Religion resolution. This is not only against Christians either. This resolution could cause everyone to be muzzled. I know it mentions Christianity also, but Christians aren't the ones doing the terrorizing.
Atheists can be brought up before the council also for speaking out against Islam. Every person in the world is at risk of being fined, jailed, maybe even flogged or stoned according to sharia law, for speaking out against Islam.
All in all this reminds me of a small child crying to mommy, "Johnny was mean to me and called me a doofus!" It reminds me also of a few scriptures that Jesus spoke. He knew what was coming and warned us to be mindful of it.
Mat 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
Mat 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
Mar 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.
I say to those who would deliver me up, do so for I will speak in the name of Jesus until my very last breath. I cannot in all good conscience allow radical Muslims to go about doing the horrible things they do and keep silent.
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Tne Lord of my Salvation Jesus Christ said we should Love our neighbors as our selves. My neighbors are my brothers and sisters in the Faith. But I have to understand that all people have a right to believe as they wish. I am glad I have no religion, but simply have faith in the Lord. For in Him I find Peace, and no one, no matter what they do can take that away from me. I know my God's name, I know He is the Creator of all things, and without Him no one would have anyone or anything to believe in.
Time will show the truth, and untill then I will share the love that the Lord has shared with me, and ask blessings on those that do not know the Lord. With respect. Hope your days get brighter, and the Love Light shines in your day. In Jesus Name... Have an awesome day...
really nice hub...great job done..amazing explanation about the topic....enjoyed reading it..thanx for sharing.
no need to insult any religion or culture or faith . that does not mean you have to accept some body else . for example a shoper can sell knife , alcohol or tobaco or food or lexuary item it is up to you to buy it. if you are a smoker dont blaime the shop keeper it is up to you
Ruth I appreciate your comment. I would like to see come documentation of what you stated if you happen to come back and read this. I understand what you are saying, but I am not sure if it is true.
Satan knows his time is up and he is fighting franticlly to save his kingdom of Islam...The truth of it is that mohammed is the counterfeit Christ prophecied to come..He counterfeited every work of Jesus, including ancestorial blood lines to Abraham, his false Gospel, his claim to be the holy ghost comfroter which incidentally is the unforgiveable sin..Mohammad was the antichrist..and it isnt over yet..He promised to return in judgment day to force the entire world to bow to the allah beast...A clue to his identity in this last hour is that his name would be HUSSEIN..This is the name legacy he left via his grandsons..He also said the sun would rise in the west with his return..This sun is the apollyon sun god John warned of in Rev 9-11 and we are the west...Obama's logo of the sun rising over the red and white flag stripes just about sums it up...Get ready for a rought ride..!!!!!
Truthtrekker, that's a great comment. I will go and check out the site and see what is really going on. It has been my suspicion that the act was favorable to Muslims, but not anyone else. Welcome to HubPages. :)
Hello SirDent I do not know if you have found the origional document but I have. The UN link is http://www.undemocracy.com/A-RES-62-154.pdf. There is also a response from the U.S Government about the abuses of this ideal and the General Assembly Resolution of the United Nations. The web address for that is http://geneva.usmission.gov/Press2008/July/0715Def There is no doubt that the UN resolution is biased towards Islam and is designed to bring sympathy to Islam and place opposing religious views under severe scrutiny and stress making it easier for Islamic Extremists to opperate more freely. It also is slanted against The United States of America. This document is a legislation of rhetoric and is best used in the bathroom. I would never encourage the violation of people to freely express religion, speech or ideals in printed, audio, public, verbal or visual media but that is exactly what this document is designed to do. It makes attempts to sound non biased but in the end you can see the ultimate goal through the ambiguos wording in many sections compared to the distinct sections regarding Islam. The ultimate goal is to outlaw religion that is of no use to a controling government. As we in the world become more complacant through the brainwashing of the media and the fattening up of fast food we see our world moving quickly to the result of total control. Charlie Manson may have been crazy but he was right when he said "You're all being brain washed." Free your mind and understand that hatred is not always bad. Think beyond the bariers of our miopic socioty and become a revolutionary. You may be supprised in what you find out about your selves.
I apologizing for misunderstanding who you were speaking of before. Have you ever wondered why they stopped saying Merry Christmas? It is easy to make up excuses after the fact. It is easy to come up with an excuse before the fact actually. What I would like to know is why deep down in their hearts they stopped saying Merry Christmas.
It i s my opinion that they did it because they want to believe Christ is nothing. They don't want to believe that he loved them so much that He died for their sins.
SirDent- Are you trying to oversimplify things? I was not mentioning retail shops but multi billion dollar organizations like corporate companies which I am sure haven't received threats unlike all those shops which you believe that are threatened by those follks. Anyway I would still wish you Merry Christmas in Advance. May God bless you and your family with Health, Wealth and Happiness. Have a great week ahead.
Thise shops that stopped using the words Merry Christmas were afraid to keep using them because of threats made.
SirDent- Based on this "you can believe the dirt you walk on is god. It means nothing to me. It is when you decide to throw that same dirt in my face, or berate me for calling it dirt instead of god that I have a problem with it."
Do you recall during christmas officially in some organizations people put up sign or greet as "Happy Holidays" instead "Merry Christmas". Why do the governments/companies in US prefer to do it? I personally see no reason why an Individual who loves Jesus a lot shouldnot do it but usually the case is it is "Politically correct" word to use. Some times it may be more appropriate to use the correct words then always the right words (a right word/belief that belongs to that persons faith).
I would say this again you have a right to say Jesus is the son of God and I have spoken to a Muslim friend she also said (that they believe in Judaic religions their have been couple of prophets before Muhammad and consider Jesus also as a Prophet). Agreed not the same as son of God but does some one threaten anyone if they say Jesus is the Son Of God?
I would say this again we have a right to believe and practice our faith but not the right to openly express (esp in a public area) our "negative beliefs" about others faith. We have a right to consider our spiritual advancement based on our beliefs but no right to condemn others who have a different belief. And even the others have no right to criticize or find fault with peace loving and kind christians faith/beliefs.
Finally no laws can be devised for things that are basic common sense which one should have earnt in a school long time ago that to be sensitive to others with our words and deeds.
CW, in all seriousness, you have the right to believe or not believe whatever you want. As far as I 'm concerned, you can believe the dirt you walk on is god. It means nothing to me. It is when you decide to throw that same dirt in my face, or berate me for calling it dirt instead of god that I have a problem with it.
You already know that Christians do not kill and murder over pictures of Jesus that are demeaning, yet Muslims threaten to kill and destroy over pictures of Muhammad.
If I say Jesus is the Son of God, it offends Muslims. If this law was to pass and be enforced, I would then be breaking the law and defaming Islam by stating that Jesus is the Son of God. Maybe the near future isn't going to see this law passed. Maybe it iwll never pass. Truthfully, we never know what will or will not pass.
SirDent- Religion means different things to different people. There are many societies including India where the people are "mindlessly" manipulated by their respective community leaders to take to violence. In India in recent times a few "self declared" hindu/muslim/christian leaders take those words of others to suit their circumstances. Their have been Churches, Mosques and Temples burnt (of course in the west only the Churches burnt would be reported). Hence one(educated indians) are taught in schools from childhood to be respectful, tolerant and open minded to others beliefs (faith).
If as I mentioned in the other hub about reincarnation (including the scientific community like doctors/scientists assertion) I get more verses from a religious text or even dismiss them as satan/demon possessed hallucinations. Faith is exactly that faith their are very few things one can prove or disprove besides the individual's faith hence one has to respect each other. We have a right to say to practice what we want but our right ends when it hurts others by way of our words or deeds.
ED said, "Is there any way for the wording of this resolution be broadened to prevent the "defimation" of ANY religion? If so, the Muslem countries may have a problem with this, as thier laws would then be illigal?"
Ed, of course not. Tolerance is only one way with Islam and the homosexual movement. They expect everyone especially Bible-believing Christians to be tolerant of their doctrines, but they will not be tolerant of the Gospel (that Jesus is the ONLY way to go to heaven).
Which proves my point, there is no such thing as "tolerance" because nobody can tolerate everything 24/7. Should Police by tolerant of crime? Should doctors be tolerant of disease and not try to cure them?
The bigger picture should be what is the truth. Just like Joshua in the Bible said, "if Baal be God then follow him, but if God be God then follow Him". The parellel today is if Allah or the god of the homosexual movement be the real God then follow him, but if the God of the Bible is God then follow Him. And if we're honest, the God of the Bible has shown Himself to be the One true Living God.
Is there any way for the wording of this resolution be broadened to prevent the "defimation" of ANY religion? If so, the Muslem countries may have a problem with this, as thier laws would then be illigal?
KK, that is such an enteeligent repsonse that it went awy over my haid. Thanks fer the raed and cumment.
Sir dent ur an idiot!
I don't really know, Sweetie. I like to see all comemnts when possible myself. I thought the link to see all comments was there all the time though too.
You know one thing I never understood is why people object to anyone hiding, deleting, the way comments are displayed on a hub. I have had my comments deleted on certain hubs and never took it personally. I am just curious why people care about these things :).
elly achok 2 years ago
God or No God,true or false gods I think we have since the lost the argument long time ago, and we are grappling with a fluid environment of changing opinions,who knew scientology will also make its way into religious dialogue?
In my honest opinion Terrorism and violence are an integral part of Islam,without those two fundamentals it is almost impossible to talk of Islam just watch their reactions to articles such as these(violence).
what I don't get is why everybody else is putting their heads in the sand hoping for some kind of dialogue and quite frankly i think it is as stupid an attempt to try and tame Islam as it is to try and get Satan to be good
No offense meant but hey good people we have to be tolerant of other's views isnt that the buzzword?