Frank Jordans
GENEVA - Four years after cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed set off violent protests across the Muslim world, Islamic nations are mounting a campaign for an international treaty to protect religious symbols and beliefs from mockery - essentially a ban on blasphemy that would put them on a collision course with free speech laws in the West.
Documents obtained by the Associated Press show that Algeria and Pakistan have taken the lead in lobbying to bring the proposal to a vote in the UN General Assembly.
If ratified in countries that enshrine freedom of expression as a fundamental right, such a treaty would require them to limit free speech if it risks seriously offending religious believers. The process, though, would take years, and no showdown is imminent.
The proposal faces stiff resistance from Western countries, including the United States, which in the past has brushed aside other United Nations treaties, such as one on the protection of migrant workers.
Observers say the bid stands some chance of eventual success if Muslim countries persist. Whatever the outcome, however, the campaign risks reigniting tensions between Muslims and the West that President Obama has pledged to heal, reviving fears of a “clash of civilizations.’’
Four years ago, a Danish newspaper published cartoons lampooning Mohammed, the prophet and founder of Islam, prompting angry mobs to attack Western embassies in Muslim countries, including Lebanon, Iran, and Indonesia. In a countermovement, several European newspapers reprinted the images.
The countries that form the 56-member Organization of the Islamic Conference are now lobbying a little-known Geneva-based UN committee to agree that a treaty protecting religions is necessary.
The move would be a first step toward drafting an international protocol that would eventually be put before the General Assembly, a process that could take a decade or more.
The proposal may have some support in the General Assembly. For several years the Islamic Conference has successfully passed a nonbinding resolution at the General Assembly condemning “defamation of religions.’’
If the treaty was approved, any of the UN’s 192 member states that ratified it would be bound by its provisions. Other countries could face criticism for refusing to join.
The United States has declared it will not accept international treaties that restrict the First Amendment right to free speech.
But there are signs the United States is worried about the Islamic Conference campaign. Behind the scenes it has been lobbying hard to quash the proposal, dispatching a senior diplomat to Geneva last month for talks described as akin to trench warfare.
“The US presence can be significant in determining the whole destiny of the process,’’ said Lukas Machon, who represents the International Commission of Jurists at the UN.
“The whole exercise is dangerous from A to Z because it’s a departure from the practice and concept of human rights,’’ Machon said. “It adds only restrictions.’’
In a letter obtained by the Associated Press, Pakistan said insults against religion were on the increase.
“The Islamic Conference believes that the attack on sacredly held beliefs and the defamation of religions, religious symbols, personalities, and dogmas impinge on the enjoyment of human rights of followers of those religions,’’ the letter said. It was sent last month to members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Complementary Standards, a temporary committee created to consider an antiracism treaty.
Posted November 20, 2009, Boston
