US Comes out Strong against Defamation of Religion Movement

Secretary Clinton at the presser where she released the
Freedom of Religion Report (EPA Photo)

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave a decisive push to press freedom around the world by openly denouncing the defamation of religion movement.

The movement, fundamentally supported by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, has gained strong momentum in recent times at international bodies, especially at the UN General Assembly, its Human Rights Council and its Conference against Racism.

Clinton, during the release of the State Department's annual Report on International Freedom of Religion, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, "Some claim that the best way to protect the freedom of religion is to implement so-called anti-defamation policies that would restrict freedom of expression and the freedom of religion. I strongly disagree."

The international opposition to this very dangerous movement was able to garner some momentum (here and here), but the Obama administration's decisive pronouncement against it changes the dynamics of the game in a fundamental way.

The AP via The Washington Post:

"The protection of speech about religion is particularly important since persons of different faith will inevitably hold divergent views on religious questions," Clinton said. "These differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse."

(...)

The effort is widely seen as a reaction to perceived anti-Islamic incidents, including the publication in Europe of several cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Michael Posner, the assistant U.S. secretary of state for human rights, democracy and labor whose office prepares the religious freedom report, said the resolution "goes too far."

"The notion that a religion can be defamed and that any comments that are negative about that religion can constitute a violation of human rights to us violates the core principle of free speech," he said.

Posner went out to clearly state that a resolution about the defamation of religion "is a violation of free speech."

For many months we have been expressing our stern opposition to a resolution that would allow states to repress, and not protect, freedom of religion not only in their countries but anywhere in the world.

We believe this movement would establish the globalization of blasphemy laws, the Biblical and Koranic precursors of today's infamous insult laws.

In fact, an international resolution on defamation of religions would give the clergy not only the power to criminalize any expressions or activities that they deem insulting to their faith but also to deny any individual the right not to believe in any religion or to convert to any another faith.

We congratulate the Obama administration on this show of courage, which so far is the most decisive to oppose a very toxic international movement.