The drive by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), led by members including Pakistan, Iran and Egypt, has sparked concern that the right to freedom of expression is being undermined by a group of countries, including some that enforce blasphemy laws and punish “apostasy.”
Addressing a press conference at the U.N. headquarters on Monday, OIC secretary-general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said states would be asked to back a measure declaring activities such as the publication of “blasphemous” caricatures a crime... [snip]
In its latest annual report on international religious freedom, the State Department criticized the OIC campaign, saying that;
“Defamation, in its ordinary meaning, refers to unwarranted attacks on one’s reputation,” they said. “Religions, like other beliefs, cannot be said to have a reputation of their own.”
“despite a pretence of protecting religious practice and promoting tolerance, the flawed concept attempts to limit freedom of religion and restrict the rights of all individuals to disagree with or criticize religion, in particular Islam.”
A petition organized by the American Center for Law and Justice, urging U.N. officials to block the OIC move, has been signed by more than 84,000 people.
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