"In an astonishing move on 12 April 2005, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) moved from promoting respect for human rights (the rights of humans) to promoting "respect for all religions and their value systems".

Wow!! I am sure that all the Satanists, Baalists and those who worship other evil deities will be very excited to hear about this. Hey, Satan comes first atlast! Maybe as a symbol of their new found values the UNCHR people can have a black mass. However, no matter what dark acts occur don't complain about it...you wouldn't want to defame the evil one would you.

Posted by: obl r us at June 4, 2005 10:10 AM

Lets see now; The (UNCHR) votes to do away with human rights and replace it with the human rights value systems of religion; namely the Islamic religion of course.

Yep; that is clearly in my estimation a step backwards for the universal respect for human rights.

So now the United Nations is not interested in universal human rights but only religious human rights; this is indeed very dangerous.

Does this mean that stonings of rape victims will be okay, that honor killings will be okay,that becoming a suicide martyr to get your 72 virgins will be okay, that calling for jihads, and fatwas aginst Jews, and Christians will be okay, after all it is written in the tenets of their religion as being an acceptable practice.

What does Amnesty International have to say about that? I suspect not much--.

Posted by: Mackie at June 4, 2005 10:37 AM

United Nations, gumming the issues because they have no teeth.

Posted by: DCWatson at June 4, 2005 11:47 AM

"Does this mean that stonings of rape victims will be okay, that honor killings will be okay,that becoming a suicide martyr to get your 72 virgins will be okay, that calling for jihads, and fatwas aginst Jews, and Christians will be okay, after all it is written in the tenets of their religion as being an acceptable practice"

Of course all of that will be poo pooed. That is not the greatest wrong. The greatest wrong that can be done to anyone is if you *Gasp* OFFEND them.

Posted by: magnoon at June 4, 2005 12:01 PM

I lost respect for the UN years ago. This just proves I was right to do so.

If you read the document, it reads much like that Conyer's resolution. A lot of yadda yadda yadda about respect for ALL religions but with emphasis on Islam. I.e.,

Alarmed at the continuing negative impact of the events of 11 September 2001 on Muslim minorities and communities in some non-Muslim countries and the negative projection of Islam in the media, and the introduction and enforcement of laws that specifically discriminate against and target Muslims

Noting with deep concern the increasing trend in recent years of statements attacking religions, Islam and Muslims in particular, especially in human rights forums

Expresses deep concern that Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism

etc.

Imagine that! Associating Islam with human rights violations and terrorism. Goodness me, what's got into people to think that?

I can't remember what the UN was initially set up for anymore. But these days, it's there to promote Islam, and shove it down our throats.

Posted by: feralee at June 4, 2005 12:19 PM

I couldn't agree more feralee. That is why I am just amazed at how the Democrats are fighting Bolton's UN nomination. He is the right man to speak up against this broken UN. But, no...he's Bush's man and we hate him. Our government, at least in Washington, is broken as well.

Posted by: reset at June 4, 2005 12:25 PM

Bravo to these 16 for voting against this repulsive dhimmi resolution:

Australia, Austria, Croatia, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United States.

Brickbats to the following ...

Argentina, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Honduras, Indonesia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Togo, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

I'm surprised at Argentina. What's up with them lately? Not surprised at the rest of the pack. Voting to protect their filthy human rights abuses no doubt. With the UN whore attempting to give them an air of respectability.

Posted by: feralee at June 4, 2005 12:34 PM

As have said previous posters, this resolution is a pretext to favor Islam over other religions. It's astonishing that the U.N. would favor Islam with its record of human rights violations throughout recorded history.

Contemporary events demonstrate that there is nothing new under the sun -- Islam, left and right, is still conquering and violating human rights. Obviously the U.N. has disregarded the historical and contemporary record.

If Islam is such a great religion, why does it need protection? From whom does it need protection? By our acts we are known. The acts of Muslims in the name of Islam demonstrates to me that it is not worthy of my consideration as a belief system.

Posted by: epg at June 4, 2005 12:36 PM

Islam On Line (IOL) reported it this way: "The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted on Tuesday, April 12, a resolution calling for combating defamation campaigns against Islam and Muslims in the West."

The excercise of freedom of expression is really upsetting muslims around the world. Their dispicable religion, which they naturally assumed was good, as most muslims just assume it to be so, without knowing much about it, is under attack. As the truth comes out, their leaders try to stifle freedom by going to the UN, as it is one organisation where they can get anything passed. Their hope is that some governments in the West will take the UNHCR resolution, and use it as reason to pass religious hate speech legislation designed to "protect" muslims. Note that Christians, Hindus and Buddhists, all of them under severe persecution in the islamic world, are not calling for "religious hate crime" legislation.

Truth of course is the best weapon available to bring the downfall of islam, and hence the clamour by islamists to have criticism of islam, and more particularly, mohammed, classed as a hate crime. They intend to drive this home by rioting for even the slightest criticism of islam, and hence bring pressure on our political elite, who for obvious reasons, wish to have a quiet nation and life.

Meanwhile the moderate and generally 'ignorant about islam' muslim, stands by the side trying to figure out which way the wind is blowing.

I have some sympathy for the ordinary muslim living in the West. He is above all the first victim of islam - an ideology that has murdered his ancestors and is now forcibly keeping him captive in the 7th century. Now he finds himself between the inexorable pressure of unfettered Free critique - which characterises us, and the mullahs - who wish him to just shut up and believe. All the while he is wondering, how this is all going to pan out.

My advice to nice and decent muslims, like that of Ali Sena's - Get the hell out of islam before it is too late. The structure of islam is going to come down, and you dont want to be inadvertantly hit by falling masonry.

Posted by: DP111 at June 4, 2005 12:51 PM

Russia and China voted in favour!

That is the very countries where muslims are under the hammer.

Posted by: DP111 at June 4, 2005 12:55 PM

This resolution by the UNHCR is a shameful spit upon the graves of the millions of innocent human beings who have perished at the hands of torture and genocide since the creation of the UN. By this resolution the UNHCR is broadcasting its transformation from a body that was founded to define and protect human rights into an organ of propaganda for the ideology du jour.

All religions are merely collections of ideas. Ideas have no rights. People have rights. People have the right to accept or reject ideas. No ideas have the right to be free from criticism or disrespect. Ideas have no right to live or die. The UNHCR was not created to protect the non-existent rights of ideas, it was created to defend the rights of human beings. If you don't believe any of the above, read it for yourself.

Posted by: Hulegu Khan at June 4, 2005 12:58 PM

DP111 and I both stand corrected, we meant, UNCHR, not UNHCR.

Posted by: Hulegu Khan at June 4, 2005 1:03 PM

Defamation.They are the ones defaming their religion (cult) by their own actions beheadings, bombings,stonings,honor killings and flying airplanes into buildings.

Posted by: RED at June 4, 2005 3:06 PM

"IOL quotes Cuba's delegate, Rodolfo Reyes Rodriguez, who claimed that Islam has been the subject of a "very deep campaign of defamation". According to IOL, it is this defamation that breeds disharmony, hatred and discrimination."

Cuba ?? Cuba is an 'expert' on Islam and wants to protect it?

Cuba is long overdue! The Fidel spook has to come to an end also. The USA is becoming less and less respected in the world if it doesn't show any resolve in real-politic...

Posted by: Terminator at June 4, 2005 6:05 PM

Hulegu Khan:

Thanks. I didnt notice the error.

You are quite right about the rights of humans. Ideas have no rights. In fact ideas are there to be criticised. If they are not, then there is no purpose at all in generating ideas or concepts.

Posted by: DP111 at June 4, 2005 7:13 PM

It's all an underhanded method of destroying America's influence in the world. Otherwise China (with its own Muslim internal battles going on) and Russia (Beslan) would both be first in line to spit on this nonsense (WELL PUT Hulegu Khan... "Human Rights", not "Ideas Rights") and tear up this resolution with the mocking contempt is deserves.

But it won't work.

As all dictatorial fools have misunderstood the core of America, from the colonial days, onward. The people in the U.S. are united by something more powerful than any mere 'religious' dogma or shallow groping for business advantage: the pursuit of happiness.

Simple words. But utterly revolutionary in the history of human declarations.

A concept alien to all dogmatic imbeciles who are busy licking the imaginary spittle of their angry deities.

The Nazis underestimated America.

The Imperial Japanese misunderstood America.

The Soviets misunderstood America.

And all dashed themselves to pieces on its Rock.

The Chinese communists misunderstood (and continue to misunderstand) America. (Stealing its intellectual property, but not realizing that the content is seeping the taste of freedom inward.)

The Old Europe EU members misunderstand America. (Thinking the 'turn to the militaristic' was something irrational and aberrant, and not cooly self-preservational.)

And Imperialistic Islam has most gravely misunderstood America. (Thinking that America is seriously self-divided, when it will only take another 9/11 type attack to wash away any internal wavering and send the troops -and cruise missiles- on their way to wipe out any who threaten the nation's existence and freedoms.)

Let the allies join in as soon their spines return.

(The rest of the countries will praise any outcome, being machiavellian weasels interested only in leeching off the corpus of power.)

Posted by: BigSleep at June 4, 2005 8:10 PM

"The United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted on Tuesday, April 12, a resolution calling for combating defamation campaigns against Islam and Muslims in the West."

"Yep; that is clearly in my estimation a step backwards for the universal respect for human rights."

A step backwards, HA HA HA HA, you bigot!!!

"Russia and China voted in favour!"

^_^

Posted by: ia786 at June 4, 2005 9:56 PM

People can criticise and hate my religion all they like. I won't ever ask an international body to shut them up or try to intimidate them because that violates the principle of freedom of speech. If freedom of speech goes so does a free society and most of the good that exists in this world. I think if there is a decent god then he would approve of a free and humane world above his ego.

Posted by: obl r us at June 4, 2005 10:38 PM

The United Nations promoting "respect for all religions...."

Who defines what is a religion and what an ideology of conquest? Or is a religion defined by the number of followers? Or those who call it a "religion"? And why are religions deserving of "respect"? Are we supposed to be mesemrized by the word "religion"? Tell me, please, what it is about the contents of Qur'an, Hadith, and Sira I am supposed to respect?

A great many people in the past knew a good deal about Islam. They did not like what they saw. They did not respect it. They had such names as Dante, Montaigne, Spinoza, Hume, Diderot, John Quincy Adams, Alexis De Tocqueville, Carlyle, Winston Churchill, and hundreds more among the most glittering names in Western history. Why should we argue with them? Because the United Nations, that most corrupt and corrupting of organizations, which at present should not be confused with, for it has nothing in commmon with, the United Nations that was founded in those heady post-war years, when such people as Rene Cassin and Eleanor Roosevelt were involved. It is now a stew of disfunction, irrelevance, arrogance, corruption. It possesses no moral authority whatsoever. Like a number of highly suspect NGO's (Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both come to mind) it is highly tendentious, and more than suspect.

Tell me again, exactly why I, or anyone else, must "respect all religions" -- or all belief-systems wrapping themselves in the mantle of "religion"?

Posted by: Hugh at June 4, 2005 11:19 PM

1a, Saladin the lying king of desert rats:

See (above post) how jubilant, extatic, almost orgasmic this troll becomes over the idiotic attempt to abolish human rights?
This guy calls himself a 'moderate'- I'm sure wehave a good picture of him and what he is all about.

Winston Churchill had this to say, and this when muslims posed no threat, either internal or external to the West.

"How dreadful are the curses which Mohammedanism lays on its votaries! Besides the fanatical frenzy, which is as dangerous in a man as hydrophobia in a dog, there is this fearful fatalistic apathy. Improvident habits, slovenly systems of agriculture, sluggish methods of commerce, and insecurity of property exist wherever the followers of the Prophet rule or live. A degraded sensualism deprives this life of its grace and refinement; the next of its dignity and sanctity. The fact that in Mohammedan law every woman must belong to some man as his absolute property - either as a child, a wife, or a concubine - must delay the final extinction of slavery until the faith of Islam has ceased to be a great power among men."
"Individual Moslems may show splendid qualities. Thousands become the brave and loyal soldiers of the Queen: all know how to die. But the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world. Far from being moribund, Mohammedanism is a militant and proselytising faith. It has already spread throughout Central Africa, raising fearless warriors at every step; and were it not that Christianity is sheltered in the strong arms of science - the science against which it had vainly struggled - the civilisation of modern Europe might fall, as fell the civilisation of ancient Rome."

Posted by: Terminator at June 4, 2005 11:56 PM

Some Muslim governments may regret signing a resolution that said:

"Reaffirming that discrimination against human beings on the grounds of religion or belief constitutes an affront to human dignity and a disavowal of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations,"

I agree with this, and it's one reason why I will resist at every turn the imposition of Sharia law, which mandates discrimination against non-Muslims.

The next part is interesting:

"Noting with concern that defamation of religions is among the causes of social disharmony and leads to violations of human rights,
Noting with deep concern the increasing trend in recent years of statements attacking religions, Islam and Muslims in particular, especially in human rights forums,"

Defamation of religions causes human rights violations, but the attacks on Islam are coming from human rights forums? It's pretty bad when you have to admit that the human rights crowd are clamouring to criticize your religion, since they are hardly known for being a tool of the global Zionist conspiracy, or whatever it is that is taking the blame for the failures of Muslim states these days.

I'm pretty sure that I've heard more condemnations of the recent Popes lately than I've heard of Islam and Muslims. Maybe the UN doesn't read the same newspapers as I do. In any case, my view is that if a religion is right, it can answer "defamation" without the UN's help, as long as the religion enjoys free speech. Thus the UN should concern itself with discrimination against Christians and Jews in Muslim countries, where religions are regularly defamed, and it's difficult or impossible for those religions to defend themselves.

"Expresses deep concern that Islam is frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism;"

Are they talking about us? This statement could just as easily be aimed at Al-Qaeda, who frequently and wrongly (or not, they would claim) associate Islam with their human rights violations and terrorism.

"Also expresses deep concern at programmes and agendas pursued by extremist organizations and groups aimed at the defamation of religions, in particular when supported by Governments;"

Yes indeed, naming no names!

"Deplores the use of the print, audio-visual and electronic media, including the Internet, and any other means to incite acts of violence, xenophobia or related intolerance and discrimination towards Islam or any other religion;"

I am seeing why the UK and US got upset, as Islam is mentioned by name AGAIN, as if Islam is bearing the brunt of global religious intolerance. I don't see that they have a uniquely hard time compared to other religions, especially considering that the countries that criticize Islam most heavily also give full rights for Muslims to make their case heard.

"Stresses the need to effectively combat defamation of all religions, Islam and Muslims in particular especially in human rights forums;"

True enough, though I don't see why Islam is in particular need of rescue from defamation. Defamation serves nobody but remember: it isn't defamation if it's true!

"Urges States to ensure equal access to education for all, in law and in practice, including access to free primary education for all children, both girls and boys, and access for adults to lifelong learning and education based on respect for human rights, diversity and tolerance without discrimination of any kind, and to refrain from any legal or other measures leading to impose racial segregation in access to schooling;"

Education for girls! Great. But why stop there? It's not so good getting a decent education if you face discrimination once you graduate. The notorious defamers of Islam at Amnesty International said of Saudi Arabia: "Discrimination in law against women is not only limited to laws regulating the system of government and decision-making. For example, the Labour Code in Saudi Arabia contain direct and indirect discriminatory clauses against women. Gender segregation often means that women are limited to unequal facilities and opportunities. Statistics from the last few years show that women represent 55 per cent of university graduates. They own 40 per cent of private wealth, own 15,000 commercial establishments, yet can not publicly administer or be part of any dealings regarding their business. They must be represented by a male relative or a wakil shar'iy ( attorney)."

Having read the whole thing, I think it is a biased and divisive resolution. The UN should work to enhance the religious freedom of everyone together, it shouldn't pick out Islam in this way as somehow being uniquely besieged and in need of assistance.

Posted by: Viking5 at June 5, 2005 6:41 AM

This is Orwellian. This is straight out of 1984 by George Orwell.

Posted by: Voltaire at June 5, 2005 7:06 AM

Especially revolting that Sudan is on the Human Rights Commission, given what is happening in Darfur. Of course they'd vote to give Islam special status, since what they're doing in Darfur is very Islamic. The UN gives its stamp of approval to Sudan's atrocities in Darfur. "Islamophobia" is far more dangerous than mass murder of innocents, according to the UN.

Posted by: feralee at June 5, 2005 11:20 AM

Come on, folks. The UNCHR is a Mickey Mouse organization with the moral authority of a warthog. Even old Kofi is talking of either reforming it or - his own favourite option - simply disbanding it.

Posted by: Paolo at June 5, 2005 3:18 PM