Friday, February 27, 2009

Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Atheism and, uh, Manitou-ism, are all crazy-ass religious choices!

I may be in trouble.

UNITED NATIONS - Islamic countries Monday won United Nations backing for an anti-blasphemy measure Canada and other Western critics say risks being used to limit freedom of speech.

...while the draft’s sponsors say it and earlier similar measures are aimed at preventing violence against worshippers regardless of religion, religious tolerance advocates warn the resolutions are being accumulated for a more sinister goal.

“It provides international cover for domestic anti-blasphemy laws, and there are a number of people who are in prison today because they have been accused of committing blasphemy,” said Bennett Graham, international program director with the Becket Fund, a think tank aimed at promoting religious liberty.

“Those arrests are made legitimate by the UN body’s (effective) stamp of approval.”


I can still get away with titling a post as I did because "the current resolution is non-binding, Pakistan’s Ambassador Masood Khan reminded the UN’s Human Rights Council this year that the OIC ultimately seeks a “new instrument or convention” on the issue. Such a measure would impose its terms on signatory states."

I am proud of Canada's response:
“Canada rejects the basic premise that religions have rights; human rights belong to human beings,” said Catherine Loubier, spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.

“The focus (here) should not be on protecting religions, but rather on protecting the rights of the adherents of religions, including of people belonging to religious minorities, or people who may choose to change their religion, or not to practice religion at all."
From Canada.com and via Pharyngula

3 comments:

Marcus Peddle said...

Forget Big Brother, Allah's Soldiers are watching you!
This sort of thing scares me.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
kwandongbrian said...

I just deleted a comment from someone linking to Craigslist. I have no problem with Craigslist but the comment did not relate to the post or any specific content of the blog and seemed more like advertising.

Interestingly, the comment was from one person but signed by another:

"christina said...

...
Alessandra"