Of course, Ahmadinejad could do his part to stop the “defamation” of Islam by stopping his genocidal saber-rattling against Israel and his “Iran calls for UN action to stop “˜defamation” of Islam,” and his avowals that Islam will dominate the world.
Here is another attempt to compel non-Muslim states to adopt Islamic laws regarding blasphemy, in the name of respect for religious sensibilities. From Reuters, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
GENEVA “” Iran backed efforts by Islamic states yesterday to get the United Nations new Human Rights Council to counter what they call “defamation of religion” around the world.
But Canada accused the Iranians of discrediting the Council by including in their delegation the state Prosecutor-General who Ottawa says was linked to the arrest and death in Teheran of a Canadian woman journalist.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki told the 45-member Council, holding its first-ever session, that freedom of expression “should not constitute a pretext and a platform to insult religions and their sanctities.
“Defamation of religions, particularly the divine message of Islam, should be rejected,” he declared. Action on this should be part of the rights standards set by the Council and pursued through “implementation at the international level.” His remarks echoed a call from the Organisation of Islamic States (OIC) and assertions by Saudi Arabia that Islam faced “an escalation of hatred and animosity … disdain for its values and everything it holds sacred.”
Although some diplomats say the drive reflects Muslim anger over cartoons published in the West last year depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), others see it as part of a longer-term effort to counter criticism of the rights records of many OIC states.
Members of the grouping, including Saudi Arabia and Iran, were often accused at the Council’s predecessor, the Human Rights Commission, of violating the rights of women and national and religious minorities.
In his speech, Iran’s Mottaki accused Western countries of trying to impose “uniculturalism” on the UN system to ensure their own values set the model for all human rights standards….
In his speech, the President of the newly created Saudi Human Rights Commission said his country “in keeping with Islamic tradition … accords special attention to the issue of religious tolerance” and respect for different cultures.
The Saudi Human Rights Commission. Sort of like the Tropical Snow Removal Unit.
Although there were ongoing efforts in the West to link it with terrorism, he declared, “Islam is a moderate religion that advocates mutual tolerance, empathy and coexistence and rejects fanaticism, obscurantism and coercion.”
Yes, and that somehow has millions of adherents who do not seem to understand that at all.