It is good to see this column about the Durban II conference in the San Francisco Chronicle. And note that the incident he recounts from the UN Human Rights Council was explained in full right here at Jihad Watch by the NGO representative whose report on human rights abuses in the Islamic world touched off the controversy, David Littman. "U.N. racism conference: The ulterior agenda," by Joel Brinkley in the San Francisco Chronicle, August 10 (thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist):
[...] The conference's planning chairman invited Iran to join his inner circle - the "friends of the chair" - to add Iranian wisdom to the topics at hand: preventing racism and promoting human rights. Why Iran? Well, the answer will almost certainly leave you asking: What were they thinking?The planning committee chairman is none other than Libya. The rapporteur ... Cuba. And the new vice chair, Iran. Several Western states are unranked members. But the leaders and their allies are running roughshod over everyone else. These countries have a clear agenda: to batter Israel and the United States and ram through proclamations decrying insults to Islam.
The European Union proposed to discuss freedom of expression. Speaking for the leadership, Egypt declared that freedom of expression is "political in nature and not grounded in objectivity." As a result, discussion of the subject is "not acceptable." The EU gave up.
In Cairo this summer, the Arab League began work on what it calls a "guidebook" on permissible "media terminology for Arab causes" to replace "false and defamed terms" - like, perhaps, freedom of expression?
Many Arab states, including Egypt, say they favor freedom of expression - except when it infringes on government prerogatives or Islamic doctrine or any other subject the government doesn't want to talk about. I have firsthand knowledge of that.
Working in Egypt in June, I visited Burullus, a small town on the northern coast. After interviewing a few people about recent riots over a price increase for bread, I set out to interview people in food stores. We stopped at one butcher shop and asked to speak to the owner. He looked over my shoulder, out to the street, then simply shook his head and turned away.
Heading back to the car, we spotted an Egyptian secret police officer - they are unmistakable - calling in our license plate number over a radio. Moments later, my translator got a phone call from a local friend. The police had issued an arrest warrant - for trying to talk to the butcher.
My driver turned off the road and hid on the beach behind some fishing boats. After awhile we took an eastern road, not the highway south to Cairo. We escaped. So much for freedom of expression in Egypt.
The United Nations' much-maligned Human Rights Council is organizing Durban II, so it's small wonder that the planning is proceeding as it has. In a recent council session, a speaker asked to bring up a particularly egregious human rights problem: genital mutilation of women. Egypt objected mightily, demanding: "We will not discuss issues related to Shariah law; this will not happen."
He thundered on, joined by a colleague from Pakistan, until the item was dropped.
Shariah, of course, is canonical law based on the teachings of the Quran and the traditions of Muhammad. I wasn't aware that it advocated genital mutilation....
The UN has been hijacked, it's a waste of money and no longer needed by the West. Dump it.
If we continue to elect government officials who want to introduce hated crimes and who want to shut up "certain" groups during our elections in our country, we will lose our freedom of speach here also. That is the trend in our global community.
"...freedom of expression - except when it infringes on government prerogatives...."
Otherwise known as fascism.
So what is the truth? In response to female genital mutilation, Egypt objected mightily, demanding: "We will not discuss issues related to Shariah law; this will not happen."
Were not we told that this practice was not part of Islam, and yet Sharia is the law of Islam. So tell me UNHEC chair, which is the truth?
"Speaking for the leadership, Egypt declared that freedom of expression is "political in nature and not grounded in objectivity." As a result, discussion of the subject is "not acceptable." The EU gave up."
It's logic, Jim, but not as we know it...
"It's logic, Jim, but not as we know it..."
I'm sorry, Abscedere, but I'm afraid to say that your freely expressed view in that statement is clearly political in nature, not grounded in objectivity and any further discussion on it is therefore not acceptable.
Do you give up?
FCC Commissioner, McDowell warns reinstated powers (return of fairness doctrine) could play in net neutrality debate, lead to government requiring balance on Web sites.
in 700 ad you could be killed for being critical of the local king ect so is it any wounder these 7th century muslim fanatics should hate free speach
INFO:
You DARE call Ya Rasool Allah (PeatBeUponHumus) a king, like pharaoh, you lying, insolent KURF DOG?!!
And dare insult The Rightly Guided Kalifah--may your tongue be cut and be fed to a thousand vultures, your body be cut and fed to a thousand jackals, your women be given to a thou . . . (Oops, sorry for the rhetorical excess.)
For a Jewish-eye view of the infamous Durban Conference on Racism in 2001, follow this link to read a pdf online version of "The Durban Diaries", written by Joelle Fiss who was then the Chairwoman of the European Union of Jewish Students and led their delegation to Durban:
http://www.eujs.org/pdf/durban.pdf
It makes for gripping, and deeply disturbing, reading.
Keep an eye open for the reference to Hezbollah.
The thing that I found most shameful - that NOBODY (and there would have been Christians among the other delegates) stood up for the Jewish delegates as they were being singled out for a barrage of intimidation and harassment that passed far, far beyond the realm of ordinary criticism, into something perilously close to that boundary where insults are replaced by actual physical blows.
If anyone out there in Lurker Land is someone who will be covering the next UN Racism Conference, or who will be part of a delegation, and you are not a Muslim, I beg you - if during that conference, especially in social gatherings or 'workshops', you see Muslims verbally harassing/ shouting down or even physically threatening any non-Muslim person, please take a deep breath, screw up your courage, get up and very ostentatiously go and stand with the non-Muslim. ESPECIALLY if that non-Muslim person is Jewish (why 'especially'? - because Islam reserves an extra-special level of venom for Jews).
At Durban #1, NO-ONE was brave enough, charitable enough, smart enough, to see through the Arab Muslim Big Lies, about the Pooor Palestinians [TM] and all the rest of it, to the vicious antisemitism that was being spewed forth.
NO-ONE was brave enough, righteous enough, loving enough, to go and stand with the beleaguered and bewildered Jewish contingent, offer a smile or a hug or a kind word or do them the courtesy of listening to their side of the story. There would have to have been Christians among the various delegations and NGOs represented, who should have done this, and didn't; I am deeply ashamed of their cowardice and failure of charity.