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.
Passing the resolution year after year gives it clout, Bolton said.
"In places where U.N. decisions are viewed as more consequential than
they are in the U.S., they're trying to build up brick-by-brick that
disagreement with this resolution is unacceptable."
Kevin "Seamus" Hasson, founder and president of the Becket Fund for
Religious Liberty, a public interest law firm in Washington that
opposes the resolution, said it is a slap in the face of human rights
law.
"The whole idea of the defamation of religion is a Trojan horse for
something else," Hasson said. "When you talk about defamation, you
talk about people being defamed and people being libeled, but ideas
can't be defamed. Ideas don't have rights, people have rights."
He said the resolution is a shield for Islamic fundamentalists who
retaliate against perceived offenses and want to make Islamic Sharia
law the law of the land. He said the resolution passes under the guise
of protecting religion, but it actually endangers religious minorities
in Islamic countries.
"Who could possibly be in favor of defamation?" Hasson said. "God may
well punish blasphemy in the hereafter, but it's not the government's
job to police in the here and now."
Paula Schriefer, advocacy director for Freedom House, a member of the
Coalition to Defend Free Speech, agrees.
"You have to remember that many of the governments that are pushing
forward this idea are not democratic governments," she said. "Citizens
of Pakistan or Egypt, who have been two of the ringleaders of this
movement, are frequently put in prison or arrested. Even if they're
not arrested, the fear of being arrested creates an environment of
self-censorship."
Floyd Abrams, Visiting Professor of First Amendment Law at the
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, said that while Americans are
protected by the Constitution at home, the U.N. resolution could
affect those who travel to countries with anti-free-speech laws and
isolate Westerners who oppose restricting religious dialogue.
Neither the Pakistani, the Indonesian nor the Egyptian missions to the
U.N. responded to requests for comment. All three are members of the
Organization of the Islamic Conference.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,432502,00.html#ixzz277EDe6bJ
On Sep 21, 8:57 am, Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: *Rand Paul*
> Date: Friday, September 21, 2012
> Subject: Hillary commits to UN Gun Ban
> To: Bruce Majors <majors.br...@gmail.com>
>
> Dear fellow Patriot,
>
> Gun-grabbers around the globe believe they have it made.
>
> And as much as some want you to think differently, the UN Gun Ban is
> proving harder to kill than a horror movie killer!
>
> As you know, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama continue to work
> hand-in-glove with the UN to pass a new "Small Arms Treaty."
>
> *But the "Small Arms Treaty" is just one of the UN's countless blades
> poised to slash our Second Amendment rights*.
>
> I don't know about you, but watching anti-American globalists plot against
> our Constitution makes me sick.
>
> At this very moment, they're plotting to use the UN "Programme of Action
> Against Small Arms" to bypass Congress and implement global gun control on
> American Citizens.
>
> That's why I'm helping lead the fight to defeat the UN Gun Ban in the
> United States Senate and anywhere else Hillary and her gun-banning cronies
> intend to implement it.
>
> And it's why I want your help today.
>
> Will you join me by taking a public stand against the UN's outright assault
> on our national sovereignty by signing the *Official Firearms Sovereignty
> Survey*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>right
> away?
>
> Ultimately, UN bureaucrats will stop at nothing to *register*, *ban* and *
> CONFISCATE* firearms owned by private citizens like YOU.
>
> So far, the gun-grabbers have successfully kept many of their schemes under
> wraps.
>
> *But looking at previous attempts by the UN to pass global gun control, you
> and I can get a good idea of what's likely in the works*.
>
> <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> You can bet the UN is working to FORCE the U.S. to implement every single
> one of these anti-gun policies:
>
> *** *Enact tougher licensing requirements*, making law-abiding Americans
> cut through even more bureaucratic red tape just to own a firearm legally;
>
> *** *CONFISCATE and DESTROY ALL "unauthorized" civilian firearms* (all
> firearms owned by the government are excluded, of course);
>
> *** *BAN the trade, sale and private ownership of ALL semi-automatic weapons
> *;
>
> *** *Create an INTERNATIONAL gun registry*, setting the stage for
> full-scale gun CONFISCATION.
> I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this is NOT a fight we can afford to
> lose.
>
> *Ever since its founding 65 years ago, the United Nations has been
> hell-bent on bringing the United States to its knees*.
>
> To the petty dictators and one-world socialists who control the UN, the
> United States of America isn't a "shining city on a hill" -- it's an
> affront to their grand designs for the globe.
>
> These anti-gun globalists know that as long as Americans remain free to
> make our own decisions without being bossed around by big government
> bureaucrats, they'll NEVER be able to seize the worldwide power they crave.
>
> And the UN's apologists also know the most effective way to finally strip
> you and me of ALL our freedoms would be to DESTROY our gun rights.
>
> That's why I was so excited to see the National Association for Gun Rights
> leading the fight to stop the UN's assault on our Constitution!
>
> Will you join them by going on record AGAINST global gun control and sign
> the *Official Firearms Sovereignty
> Survey*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>today?
>
> <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> *The truth is there's no time to waste.*
>
> You and I have to be prepared for this fight to move *FAST*.
>
> The fact is the last thing the gun-grabbers at the UN and in Washington,
> D.C. want is for you and me to have time to mobilize gun owners to defeat
> this radical agenda.
>
> They've made that mistake before, and we've made them pay, defeating EVERY
> attempt to ram the UN Small Arms Treaty into law since the mid-1990s.
>
> But now time may not be on our side.
>
> In fact, we're likely to only have a few weeks to defeat them when they
> make their move.
>
> *And worse... the UN Small Arms Treaty is no longer the only UN scheme
> threatening our gun rights*.
>
> More and more of the UN's radical agenda is slipping through covertly,
> under the cover of domestic legislation.
>
> Not long ago, Obama told Sarah Brady from the anti-gun Brady Campaign, "I
> just want you to know that we are working on [gun control]. We have to go
> through a few processes, but under the radar."
>
> In fact, Hillary Clinton's State Department recently bragged that *Project
> Gunrunner* and *Operation Fast and Furious* are implementations of the UN
> Programme Against Small Arms!
>
> And I'd place a wager that *Obama's M1 Rifle Re-importation Ban* was also
> the UN Programme dutifully executed by his administration.
>
> *Anti-gun UN policy that NEVER received a single vote in the United States
> Congress!*
>
> I've been told by sources inside the UN that the anti-gun gang is going
> after the UN Programme Against Small Arms "like a snarling pack of hyenas."
>
> And this is just one of the weapons they have at their disposal.
>
> The UN General Assembly will also meet soon, and UN insiders expect them to
> grant a renewal or extension of the "Small Arms Treaty" mandate.
>
> *But even worse than a renewed mandate, the General Assmebly could vote by
> simple majority to implement the "Small Arms Treaty*."
>
> This would bypass any further meetings and would allow them to insist that
> member states ratify the treaty immediately.
>
> So if you and I are going to defeat them, we have to turn the heat up on
> Washington now before it's too late!
>
> 1. Do you believe the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Second
> Amendment are the supreme law of the land?
>
> 2. Do you believe any attempt by the United Nations to subvert or supersede
> your Constitutional rights must be opposed?
> If you said *"Yes!"* to these questions, please *sign the
> survey*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>the
> National Association for Gun Rights has prepared for you.
>
> <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> *But I hope you'll do more than just sign your survey today*.
>
> With your help, the National Association for Gun Rights can continue to
> turn up the heat on targeted members of Congress and others who are working
> to implement the UN Gun Ban.
>
> Direct mail. Phones. E-mail. Blogs. Guest editorials. Press
> conferences. Hard-hitting internet, newspaper, radio and even TV ads if
> funding permits. The whole nine yards.
>
> *Of course, a program of this scale is only possible if the National
> Association for Gun Rights can raise the money*.
>
> But that's not easy, and we may not have much time.
>
> In fact, if gun owners are going to defeat the UN's schemes pro-gun
> Americans like you and me have to get involved NOW!
>
> So please put yourself on record AGAINST the UN Gun Ban by signing
> NAGR's *Firearms
> Sovereignty Survey*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> .
>
> *But along with your survey, please agree to make a generous contribution
> of $250, $100, $50 or even just
> $35*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> .
>
> And every dollar counts in this fight so even if you can only *chip in $10
> or $20*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>,
> it will make a difference.
>
> Thank you in advance for your time and money devoted to defending our
> Second Amendment rights.
>
> For Freedom,
>
> Rand Paul
> United States Senator
>
> P.S. The UN Gun Ban is proving harder to kill than a horror movie killer!
> And The UN "Small Arms Treaty" isn't the only UN scheme threatening our gun
> rights.
>
> *There are countless UN programs designed to gut our Second Amendment rights
> *.
>
> The UN Programme Against Small Arms is a deadly serious attempt to force
> global gun control on Americans without any vote in Congress.
>
> Hillary Clinton and the Obama Administration are already working to
> implement the "suggestions of the Programme," starting with the corrupt
> "Fast and Furious" program.
>
> *If we're going to defeat the UN Gun Ban, gun owners have to turn the heat
> up now before it's too late*!
>
> Please return your *Firearms Sovereignty
> Survey*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>and
> put yourself squarely on the record AGAINST UN Gun Ban.
>
> *And if you can, please make a generous contribution to the National
> Association for Gun Rights of $250, $150, $100 or even just $35 right
> away*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
> !
>
> And every dollar counts in this fight so even if you can only *chip in $10
> or $20*<http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>,
> it will make a difference.
> <http://paracom.paramountcommunication.com/ct/9752767:13189448228:m:1:...>
>
> This message was intended for: majors.br...@gmail.com <javascript:_e({},
> 'cvml', 'majors.br...@gmail.com');>
> You were added to the system June 21, 2011. For more information
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