Is this even legal? It completely breaks the freedom of speech?
Posted Saturday, March 20, 2010 by admin
I was going through reading articles when this one popped up. It’s about a resolution soon to be put into effect in Britain which pretty much states that no one can have an opinion, stereotype or their own thoughts on the Muslim world. Here’s the article:
“Religious groups and free-speech advocates are banding together to fight a United Nations resolution they say is being used to spread Sharia law to the Western world and to intimidate anyone who criticizes Islam.
The non-binding resolution on “Combating the Defamation of Religion” is intended to curtail speech that offends religion — particularly Islam.
Pakistan and the Organization of the Islamic Conference introduced the measure to the U.N. Human Rights Council in 1999. It was amended to include religions other than Islam, and it has passed every year since.
In 2005, Yemen successfully brought a similar resolution before the General Assembly. Now the 192-nation Assembly is set to vote on it again.
The non-binding Resolution 62/145, which was adopted in 2007, says it “notes with deep concern the intensification of the campaign of defamation of religions and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities in the aftermath of 11 September 2001.”
It “stresses the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions and incitement to religious hatred, against Islam and Muslims in particular.”
But some critics believe the resolution is a dangerous threat to freedom of speech everywhere.
The U.S. government mission in Geneva, in a statement, told the U.N. Human Rights Council in July that “defamation-related laws have been abused by governments and used to restrict human rights” around the world, and sometimes Westerners have been caught in the web.
Critics give some recent news events as examples of how the U.N. “blasphemy resolution” has emboldened Islamic authorities and threatened Westerners:
– On Oct. 3 in Great Britain, three men were charged for plotting to kill the publisher of the novel “The Jewel of Medina,” which gives a fictional account of the Prophet Muhammad and his child bride. FOXNews.com reported U.S. publisher Random House Inc., was going to release the book but stopped it from hitting shelves after it claimed that “credible and unrelated sources” said the book could incite violence by a “small, radical segment.”
– An Afghan student is on death row for downloading an article about the role of women in Islam, FOXNews.com also reported.
– In December 2007 “a court reportedly sentenced two foreigners to six months in prison for allegedly marketing a book deemed offensive to Aisha, one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives,” the U.S. government said.
– A British teacher was sentenced to 15 days in jail in Sudan for offending Islam by allowing students to name the class teddy bear Muhammad in November 2007.
– In February 2007 in Egypt an Internet blogger was sentenced to four years in prison for writing a post that critiqued Islam.
– In 2004, Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was murdered after the release of his documentary highlighting the abuse of Muslim women.
“It’s obviously intended to have an intimidating effect on people expressing criticism of radical Islam, and the idea that you can have a defamation of a religion like this, I think, is a concept fundamentally foreign to our system of free expression in the United States,” said former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton.”
Now does anyone believe this is a GOOD thing? Or is anyone else with me in thinking that this is completely immoral to even TRY to regulate how other individuals view a certain religion?
http://geneva.usmission.gov/Press2008/July/0715DefamationReligions.html
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432502,00.html
To those adding that it’s simply for people to stop criticizing religion, think about this: freedom of speech means that those who want to particpate in their *** pride parade can do so. It also means if I want to go up and down the streets screaming about God I can do so. It means if you’re Muslim and someone doesn’t agree with your religion, you have the right to defend yourself but you’re probably not going to change their mind. This particular thing that they’re trying to pass is regulating everything to the point where radicalists are going to have control of most things. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want any religion, creed or anything running the world. I’d rather a melting pot.
Aww hello Beetroot Yourself. I hope you have a BLESSED day sugar. =)
Betroot EDIT: It shows hunny.
Ben:
I never said UK. The article said UK. It said it right there in the text. Again, this is an article from a news source. My opinion wasn’t in quotations. And we do have the right to put whatever muck we want on the internet. Have you seen any **** lately? Would you not agree that it’s basically lies? People put up websites applauding 9/11. People put up websites defaming Christianity. People put up websites putting down gays and ********. There are so many different sites out there who “lie” all the time. Why should a couple websites who were doing the same thing as these others but towards Muslims be any different? In case you were wondering, I am a little bit educated and think before I speak.
………………………..v for vendetta…….
The answer is contained right in the quote you cite: “The non-binding resolution.” It is not an attempt to regulate, or control, or require, or in any way impose their will on anyone else.
In fact, if you believe in free speech, you should support their right to speak their mind.
Don’t be so alarmist and reactionary, what it intends to do and what it WILL do are unrelated.
Are you another one who’s unjustifiably paranoid about Muslims?.
Incidentally the USA holds itself up as a guiding light of free speech but it is pure fallacy. You can’t even say “sh!t” on television never mind speak out about anything political, look at how Russell Brand was treated for a few throwaway gags at the VMAs, to anyone in the UK that was totally laughable.
(The British teacher was imprisoned in Sudan, totally irrelevant to your argument, look up the laws on free speech in Sudan).
You’ve misunderstood that article entirely by the way, how embarrassing for you. I notice you’re from the South, says a lot.
EDIT Thanks very much but I’m not religious.
Many of the answers on here are very wrong. People are confusing a UN directive with being the law, are confusing defamation with having/voicing an opinion, and think that we legally have the right to say whatever we want – when this is not the case.
Even if this directive was made law (which it most likely wont ever be in the vast majority of western states) then it would not prevent someone voicing a negative opinion about Islam (or any other faith), it would prevent someone from spreading malicious lies for the sake of inciting religious hatered.
Re: someone saying that he is too scared to leave his house incase he says something wrong to a Muslim; that’s so absurd. I’m also from the UK and as a former philosophy student I’ve debated with Muslims about points in their theology on many occasions, so if I’m still okay then there’s no reason you shouldn’t be – you’re being very over dramatic.
I agree with Betroot that the asker is paranoid about Muslims; in her mind she’s distorted the article to mean something very different from what it actually means.
Dolcezza – in your edit you say you don’t mention the UK, but the article does. You’re wrong, the article doesn’t say the directive is being introduced into the UK, but in your intro you say it is being introduced into Britain. I think you’re confusing the United Nations with the United Kingdom. One is an inter-governmental organisation, one is a country.
Websites defaming Christianity would also be banned under this if it became a law; it’s not specific to Islam. The UN’s directive is aiming to stop people from publishing lies to make different religious groups hate/attack each other (which is a problem in the current world climate.) Again I must stress, the directive IS NOT law; but even if it was, would it really be that bad? Read up on freedom of speech on wikipedia, you’ll see that we haven’t had true free speech for a loooong time, and hopefully you’ll be able to see why.
Throbbing Hood – for a start i didn’t call people who are scared of Muslim’s liars – and yes, I think it is absurd to be scared of every member of a faith because a few people of that faith were responsible for September 11th. And what makes you assume I don’t live in the real world? I lived in Liverpool for years, some of that time as a student, some of the time working. I’m afraid it’s other people that don’t live in the real world; they live in the sensationalised bulls**t world created by the tabloids. Plus, if people are scared of Muslims because they dont understand the faith and hear horror stories – then surely you should agree that a directive that prohibits malicous untruths to be spread about them a good thing?
Key words—Non binding—.
You’re drawing ridiculous conclusions from something that is meant to prevent attacks on any religion. Free speech does not give you the right to say anything you want, if what you say is an attack on someone else.
I agree with you. This is a veiled attempt to suppress freedom of speech and is very dangerous. I have the right to ridicule and mock any religion including Islam. Defamation can apply to an individual, but not to an idea.
I don’t think you are being alarmist at all , at least you are not burying your head in the sand like some of the other posters on here .
It wont be long before there is no freedom of speech , well not for some religions anyway .They can say what they like about us and if we retaliate we are threatened or in some cases murdered .
IM not a religious person but if I were I wouldn’t care what people said against my religious so why do they , as long as it helps them its their business and I don’t want to know about it .
What I do take of fence to , is the calling to pray throughout certain cities in the UK , they all know what time they have to go so why do the rest of us have to be told , that’s solicitation.
This paragraph is disgusting ,
A British teacher was sentenced to 15 days in jail in Sudan for offending Islam by allowing students to name the class teddy bear Muhammad in November 2007.
This is dreadful , this lady goes to the country to help the children and ends up getting death threats , we should pull all our Doctors Nurses Teachers and any other Professional person out of the country and let them get on with it .
EDIT
Ben , so you think these elderly people that live in Birmingham and are scared of Muslims are absurd liars do you .Get your head out of your reading books and look at the real world , its not about what you have learnt in college , these are real people with real feelings .You may not be scared of them because you have had a few debates with them , but not everyone is so trusting ,ask the relatives of the 9/11 victims if they are scared of them .
And they say that Christians are oppressive… I agree with you. **** that law.
-Kyle- Freedom of speech gives you the freedom to say what ever you want, whenever you want. Be it an attack or not. We have the freedom to say what we want at all times… some people lack the moral or ethical courtesies to not attack people. There is a difference
dolcezza , I agree with you totally .
BEETROOT
This has to be the statement of the century ,
Are you another one who’s unjustifiably paranoid about Muslims?
Where the hell have you been the last 10 years , and why do you feel the need to be sarcastic about where someone comes from , you seem to be very bitter about yourself .
Oh dear there are a few ruffled feathers here but dolcezza I agree with you ,I know families that are too scared to go out of their homes for fear of what will happen if they don’t agree with these people .Britain has become a very sad place to live.
I don’t know why some posters have to be so sarcastic when you were supposed to be having an adult debate , whats the solicitor getting up set for why feel the need to tell us all that he /she is in that profession Lol and the other nasty bit of work doing the name calling whats all that about .