A Common Statement from Civil Society

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A Common Statement from Civil Society on the Concept of the “Defamation of Religions”

United Nations resolutions on the `defamation of religions' are incompatible with the fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs.

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Unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the `defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas. Additionally, the concept of `defamation of religions' is fundamentally inconsistent with the universal principles outlined in the United Nations' founding documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the protection of the rights of individuals, rather than ideas.

Such resolutions provide international support for domestic laws against blasphemy and “injury to religious feelings”, which are often abused by governments to punish the peaceful expression of disfavored political or religious beliefs and ideas. Moreover, existing international legal instruments already address discrimination, personal defamation, and incitement in ways that are more carefully focused to confront those specific problems without unduly threatening the rights of freedom of expression and the freedom of thought, conscience and religion.

It is vitally important for governments to combat violence motivated by bias and hatred and to encourage respectful speech and civil dialogue, while at the same time affirming that freedom of expression and freedom of thought, conscience and religion are integral to the health of free societies and the dignity of the human person.

Finally, legal efforts alone cannot foster an environment of respect and religious freedom. Education and public diplomacy are vital tools in the protection of a peaceful and robust exchange of ideas and beliefs.

Signed:

International Religious Liberty Association

American Islamic Congress

Indonesia Legal Resource Center, Indonesia

Becket Fund for Religious Liberty

United Sikhs

Institute for Global Engagement

Humanist Academy, Scotland

Freedom House

BCV Centre for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths, Australia

Vigilance, Inc.

Simon Wiesenthal Center

Sidmennt, the Icelandic Ethical Humanist Association

International Christian Concern

Unione degli Atei e degli Agnositici Razionalisti, (UAAR), Italy

International Quranic Center

Higgins Counterterrorism Research Center

U.S. Copts Association

European Humanist Federation

International Center for Religion & Diplomacy

LibForAll Foundation

Humanistisch-Vrijzinnige Vereniging, Belgium

Center for Political Studies, Denmark

American Ethical Union

Dutch Platform on International Freedom of Religion or Belief

The Humanist Society of Scotland, Scotland

Vienna Akademikerbund, Austria

Polish Humanist Association, Poland

Stichting Magenta/Magenta Foundation

TIFA Foundation, Indonesia

International Civil Liberties Alliance

Rapid Response Group, Uzbekistan

Center for Security Policy

Media Rights Agenda, Nigeria

Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention

Rationalist Association, UK

International Humanist and Ethical Union

ACT! for America

Women’s Rights Organization Against Discrimination (AKDER), Turkey

Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia

Center for Inquiry

Center for Islamic Pluralism, Washington D.C./London/Koln

The Association of Christian Schools

Center for Religious Freedom at the Hudson Institute

Bürgerbewegung Pax Europa, Germany and Austria

American Center for Law and Justice

Anti-Defamation League

The Center for Economic and Social Justice

Christian Copts of California

Dachverband Freier Weltanschauungsgemeinschaften Deutschlands, Germany

Committee for the Freedom of Prisoners of Conscience in Uzbekistan

Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights

GeoStrategic Analysis of Potomac, Maryland

Prometheus Society, Slovakia

American Humanist Association

The Phyllis Chesler Organization

Baptist World Alliance

Open Doors International

Humanist Association of Ireland

Bahá'í International Community

Forum for Civic Responsibility

Vapaa-ajattelijain Liitto ry/The Union of Freethinkers of Finland, Finland

The Rutherford Institute

Foundation for the Defense of Democracies

American Textbook Council

David Horowitz Freedom Center

The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum

UN Watch

The Investigative Project on Terrorism

Church of Scientology of Amsterdam

Jubilee Campaign

Bund Freireligiöser Gemeinden Deutschlands, Germany

Religious Freedom Coalition

Os Guinness, Author

International Al Hewar Almasry Center for Copts Human Rights in Egypt

Islam and Civil Society Project of the Witherspoon Institute

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, South Africa

SOVA Center for Information and Analysis, Russia

Mission Europa, Austria

The Westminster Institute

CNP Action, Inc.

Endowment for Middle East Truth

American Jewish Congress

B’nai B’rith International

Barnabus Aid

Democracy Coalition Project

National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S.

Humanistischer Verband Deutschlands, Germany

Dalit Freedom Network

Open Doors USA

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Christian Solidarity Worldwide

Advocates International

National Secular Society, UK

Traditional Values Coalition

Human Rights Without Frontiers

Concerned Women for America

UVV Unie Vrijzinnige Verenigingen, Belgium

Oxford Center for Religion and Public Life

American Congress for Truth

Centre d’Action Laïque, Belgium

ChinaAid

American Islamic Forum for Democracy

British Humanist Association

 

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