Global groups reject Islam 'protection' plan U.N. proposal would outlaw criticism of Muhammad, followers November 12, 2009 By Bob Unruh WorldNetDaily Original source: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=115910 Global organizations representing humanists, Christians, Jews, Bahais, scientologists and even several Muslim groups are lobbying against a United Nations proposal that would provide Islam with worldwide legal protection against criticism. And it appears to be working. A preliminary committee vote in the U.N.'s Third Committee today resulted in 81 votes for the protections, 55 against and 43 abstentions, a significant change from the most recent vote. Officials said there were five fewer votes in support, two more in opposition and one more abstention, revealing a continuing loss of support for the plan. WND has reported multiple times on the proposal, which has been around for a decade and in its most recent form is called the Defamation of Religions resolution. The plan traces its roots to the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam, which states that all rights are subject to Shariah law and makes Shariah law the only source of reference for human rights. It has been supported by the 57 member states of the Organization of the the Islamic Conference, which started out promoting it as the Defamation of Islam resolution but soon changed the name, although Islam still remains the only religion mentioned for protections. Essentially, it would make criticism of Islam a violation of international law. Open Doors USA, a Christian ministry that operates in many Islamic nations, earlier launched a petition to allow people to express their opposition. Lindsay Vessey, the advocacy director for Open Doors, told WND the danger lies in the new proposal's plan to protect a message, rather than an individual, the general focus of human rights provisions at the U.N. It would legitimize national blasphemy laws in countries that are actually going to persecute religious minorities, such as Pakistan and Afghanistan, she told WND. Open Doors is asking people to sign a petition opposing the U.N. resolution to protect Islam from criticism A General Assembly vote on a binding resolution is expected before the end of this year. Earlier votes have not been designated as binding on member states. A new petition, under WhatIsDefamationOfReligion.com, has been created online, and a long list of organizations with a wide range of allegiances have signed on. The new petition states, United Nations resolutions on the 'defamation of religions' are incompatible with the fundamental freedoms of individuals to freely exercise and peacefully express their thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Unlike traditional defamation laws, which punish false statements of fact that harm individual persons, measures prohibiting the 'defamation of religions' punish the peaceful criticism of ideas. Additionally, the concept of 'defamation of religions' is fundamentally inconsistent with the universal principles outlined in the United Nations' founding documents, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which affirms the protection of the rights of individuals, rather than ideas, the petition states. The plan would create an international standard that actually could be used in support of domestic blasphemy laws, as well as those that ban injury to religious feelings, critics say. Laws of that kind, the petition says, are abused by governments to punish the peaceful expression of disfavored political or religious beliefs and ideas. Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice, which has been working against the proposal for years already and was among the first to raise the alarm, said there's huge consensus on the plan. You could not have a more broad-based and diverse group of organizations [than those on the new petition], he told WND. I think the stronger the OIC pushes the defamation resolution, the broader the opposition is becoming. It's becoming clear that this is an 'Islamic Protection Act,' he said. Among the groups that have signed in opposition to the U.N. resolution are ACT! For America, Brigitte Gabriel's front-line work to expose Islam; the American Humanist Association; the American Textbook Council; the American Islamic Congress; and the American Islamic Forum for Democracy. The list also includes the American Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, the Association of Christian Schools , Baha'i International, BCV Center for the Study of Islam and Other Faiths from Australia, B'Nai B'rith International, Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia, Center for Islamic Pluralism in Washington, the Center for Political Studies in Denmark and Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The list continues with the Church of Scientology of Amsterdam, Committee for the Freedom of Prisoners of Conscience in Uzbekistan, Concerned Women for America, Dalit Freedom Network, Endowment for Middle East Truth, International Center for Religion & Diplomacy, International Quranic Center, International Society for Krishna Consciousness, Prometheus Society of Slovakia, Traditional Values Coalition, United Sikhs and the Turkish Women's Rights Organization Against Discrimination. Another group is International Christian Concern, whose leaders were alarmed. The resolution provides international cover for domestic anti-blasphemy laws in countries like Pakistan and Sudan where these laws are used to persecute Chrsitians under the guise of protecting Islam, the group said. Jeremy Shull, the organization's advocacy officer, said, This is the first time a binding effort is being made in an organization with the international influence of the U.N. We are dismayed at this movement in the U.N. to infringe upon religious freedom. Countries like Pakistan already use non-binding resolutions as international cover to imprison and harm Christians in the name of human rights. Human rights laws exist to protect individuals, not countries or ideas, he said. In a formal statement to the U.N., Sekulow's organization cited the deaths of 13 Christians in Pakistan who were targeted because of their faith by a mob of fanatics who also destroyed homes and churches in the city of Gojra. The U.N. General Assembly has approved a defamation of religions resolution in each of the three sessions from 2005 to 2007. The text always has been similar, and it always has had major support from Islamic nations with opposition from Western democracies, including the U.S. In recent votes, support, however, has been declining. The U.S. State Department also has found the anti-defamation proposal unpalatable. This resolution is incomplete inasmuch as it fails to address the situation of all religions, said a statement from Leonard Leo. We believe that such inclusive language would have furthered the objective of promoting religious freedom. We also believe that any resolution on this topic must include mention of the need to change educational systems that promote hatred of other religions, as well as the problem of state-sponsored media that negatively targets any one religion.