The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has dropped its attempts to ban defamation of religions, allowing the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to pass a resolution that prioritizes freedom of expression over prevention of blasphemy. (Or as we call it here, hurting religious feelings.)
Here’s how the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) summarized the resolution:
In place of the divisive “combating defamation of religions” resolution, today the UN Human Rights Council adopted a consensus resolution on “combating intolerance, negative stereotyping and stigmatization of, and discrimination, incitement to violence, and violence against persons based on religion or belief.” The resolution properly focuses on protecting individuals from discrimination or violence, instead of protecting religions from criticism. The resolution protects the adherents of all religions or beliefs, instead of focusing on one religion. Unlike the defamation of religions resolution, the new consensus resolution does not call for legal restrictions on peaceful expression, but rather, for positive measures, such as education and awareness-building, to address intolerance, discrimination, and violence based on religion or belief.
For more than a decade, the OIC has been trying to influence governments into adopting resolutions that would lead to blasphemy laws. In 2010, they proposed a resolution entitled “Combating defamation of religions.” The UNHRC passed the resolution, but it was a close call. 20 voted in favor, 17 voted against, 8 abstained, and 2 were absent.
This was an improvement over the results of similar debates from previous years, but it wasn’t enough. The 2010 resolution influenced Pakistan to implement a blasphemy law that fostered bigotry, intolerance, and violence among its citizens. And early this year, it cost two men their lives.
Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Batti died fighting for religious freedom and freedom of expression. But their deaths were not in vain. The religious fanaticism shown by their murderers and those who thought this violence was justified served as a warning to the members of this year’s UNHRC. These murders, together with the division caused by heated debates on the issue from previous years, led the council to unanimously pass a resolution affirming human rights, calling for “a global dialogue for the promotion of a culture of tolerance and peace at all levels, based on respect for human rights and diversity of religions and beliefs.”
The UNHRC has finally realized that individuals, not ideals, are worthy of respect and protection. I hope that Pakistan and the other members of the OIC follow suit and eliminate all blasphemy laws for good.
I hope because of this we will be free from medieval thinking.
I'm afraid we still have a long way to go, my friend.
In a country where state leaders and lawmakers fear loss of votes that come with the loss of support from catholic leaders, a country that cannot pass and implement laws without religious leaders intervening, a country where catholic leaders are above the laws of the land, we still have a very very long way to go.
Perhaps you are right that we still have a long way to go. After all change doesn't occur overnight. People change, ideologies change, beliefs change, and it takes a lot time before an ideology or belief becomes dominant.
And perhaps I was wrong to say that we will be free from such thinking. After all it is our curse to remember the things of the past, even the old ways, that we want forgotten.
To be free is a dream, to forget is a mistake. If we forget the fact that there will always be those that will be against us is being careless. We must never leave the other side unchecked.
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