Posted by Eugene Volokh: U.N. General Assembly Urges Prohibition of "Ideas ... Aimed at Any Religion or Its Followers That Constitute Incitement to ... Hostility": http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2007_12_30-2008_01_05.shtml#1199423972
[1]Jurist reports this happens last month, and points to [2]this version of the resolution as the one that was passed. The paragraph I quoted above says that the UN General Assembly "Urges States to take resolute action to prohibit the dissemination of racist and xenophobic ideas and material aimed at any religion or its followers that constitute incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence." I think U.S. law is right to protect even racist viewpoints, as well as ones that advocate violence. But surely it is right to protect ideas that incite mere hostility to a religion. Anyone who argues Scientology, fundamentalist Christianity, fundamentalist Islam, or for that matter religion generally is foolish or dangerous will say things that are aimed at a religion and constitute incitement to hostility to a religion. The General Assembly resolution aims at the heart of the sort of speech that's necessary for free debate about ideas, not just at the periphery. I noted [3]two years ago that a similar resolution had been promulgated by the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Resolution; now it's the U.N. General Assembly. Fortunately, this vote was [4]95-52, with nearly all the developed countries voted against. Let's hope that coalition continues to hold over the years. References 1. http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2007/12/un-general-assembly-adopts-resolution.php 2. http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/LTD/N07/579/32/PDF/N0757932.pdf?OpenElement 3. http://volokh.com/posts/chain_1137780446.shtml 4. http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/gashc3909.doc.htm _______________________________________________ Volokh mailing list [email protected] http://lists.powerblogs.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/volokh
