"Free Speech" Not A UN Concern Anymore

When the UN was set up by civilised nations, it included in its areas of interest, the right of "free speech" via the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ....

Declaration Of Human Rights

 .... which stated 60 years ago, that "a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief is the highest aspiration of the common people"... this was to be reported on by a UN "Rapporteur."

Currently Ambeyi Ligabo is the UN Rapporteur for 'Freedom of Opinion', and Asma Jahangir is responsible for 'Expression and Freedom of Religion or Belief'. There are a number of 'Human Rights Defenders', with Margaret Sekaggya apparently the principle defender of our basic human rights.

Columnist Johann Hari in the Independent Newspaper has brought to his readers attention changes at the United Nations that affect Free Speech defence. These are that following pressure from Islamic countries, who, led by the freedom loving Saudis, said that any demand for 'everyone to be able to think and speak freely' failed to "respect" the "unique sensitivities" of the religious (i.e. Muslims), so they have issued an alternative, Declaration of Human Rights in Islam . Note that 'the religious' can only mean "Islamic" in the declaration.

In this Anti Free Speech declaration you can only speak within "the limits set by the shariah [Muslim law]. It is not permitted to spread falsehood or disseminate that which involves encouraging abomination or forsaking the Islamic community". In other words, if you say you are not a Muslim, or declare that Islam is wrong in anyway, in any part of the world, you are subject to Sharia Law, and will be subject to UN condemnation, and a lot worse if you happen to be in a Muslim country.

The Islamic inspired declaration goes on to make it clear that there is no equality for women, gays, non-Muslims, or apostates. To their eternal shame this Muslim led attack on human principles has been backed by both the Vatican, and a collection of US Christian fundamentalists.

Now the Pakistani delegate to the UN has demanded that this job description be changed, so they can seek out and condemn "abuses of free expression" including "defamation of religions and prophets". Shamefully the UN council has agreed to the Pakistani demand and now, instead of condemning the people who wanted to murder Salman Rushdie, they will be condemning Salman Rushdie himself ..... where were the major western powers when Free Speech was finally abandoned as a Human aspiration?

Apparently they agreed to this change without complaint. The main objections have come from free speech campaigners such as Roy Brown of the International Humanist and Ethical Union, who has tried to raise topics like the stoning of women accused of adultery or child marriage.

When Mr Brown tried to speak to the UN, the Egyptian delegate stood up to announce that any discussion of shariah "will not happen" and "Islam will not be crucified in this council" – and Mr Brown was ordered to stop talking by the UN Commission on Human Rights, which is controlled by the Muslim state membership, and therefore any criticism of Islamic practices has therefore effectively been gagged.

Now mullahs and despotic regimes have the UN backing for the imprisonment of people like Abdel Kareem Soliman who said that the al-Azhar university in Cairo was a "the university of terrorism", and that it "suppressed free thought".

I point also to the treatment of writer Taslima Nasreen, firstly in Bangladesh and then in West Bengal by Muslim zealots. Her crime? She had "seriously hurt Muslim sentiments" by calling for more rights for women in her writings.

When she called for Islamic religious edicts to be changed, she was referring to the Sharia laws (which are man made and biased against women), but that didn't stop an illiterate rent-a-mob being drummed out of the mosques, by Mullahs who probably had never read the books, to destroy property, burn and loot in the name of 'protecting the honour' of their religion .... now the actions of this mob is apparently UN sanctioned.

Recently Reda Abdel-Rahman (also known as Abdel Rahman) was arrested, tortured and humiliated in Egypt. His crime "contempt for the Muslim faith" which in reality, is, that he accepts the Quran as the only source of the Muslim religion, and not the Sunnah (the life of Mohammad, which is where child brides and various other practices from Islam are justified).

In fact the Quran says that no other book should be used so Mr Rahman is correct, and the other Muslims are apostates by using the books of the Sunnah. That aside, the UN no longer comments on the Egyptian governments abuses as long as they say its a 'religious matter'.

I truly believe that we have gone mad ......