1. CNS News（http://cnsnews.com）
Islamic Bloc Revives Drive to Outlaw ‘Religious Defamation’ Worldwide, 20 September 2012
by Patrick Goodenough
(CNSNews.com) A decade-old but temporarily-shelved push by Islamic governments to universally outlaw “blasphemy” looks poised to return to the international agenda, amid the ongoing furor over insulting depictions of Mohammed.
After more than a week of public demands by Muslim figures, including top Sunni clerics, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the Islamist leaders of Egypt and Turkey, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Arab League have signaled a new global censorship push.
Obama administration officials have spoken out in support of the First Amendment in this context, although White House Press Secretary Jay Carney raised eyebrows last Friday when he confirmed the administration had asked YouTube to review whether a video clip mocking Mohammed “violates their terms of use.”
President Obama spoke by phone to the leaders of several countries where anti-U.S. protests linked to the film have occurred: Egypt, Afghanistan, Yemen and Turkey. White House readouts of the calls said the president rejected efforts to denigrate Islam while stressing there was never any justification for violence – but if he defended free speech, no mention was made of this.
“The hesitation on the part of this administration and the schizophrenia in response to this latest crisis is a cause for concern,” Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in the House on Wednesday. “The U.S. has nothing for which to apologize, including the exercise of freedom of expression.”
Islamic nations already were gearing up to formulate a response to the appearance online of the Mohammed film clip when the publication by a satirical French magazine Wednesday of cartoons lampooning Islam’s prophet triggered fresh complaints.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu called on political and religious leaders worldwide “to take a united stand against fanatics and radicals involved in destabilizing global peace and security by fanning incitement and religious intolerance.”
It was time “for international community to take serious note of the dangerous implications of hate speech and inciting publications and come out of hiding behind the excuse of freedom of expression.”
The upcoming opening of the annual U.N. General Assembly session in New York, which brings together many world leaders, comes at an opportune time for the offended governments.
Announcing his intention to take up the matter at the General Assembly session, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called for“international legal regulations against attacks on what people deem sacred."
Addressing a press conference Wednesday in Saudi Arabia, Ihsanoglu said a scheduled annual meeting of Muslim states’ foreign ministers on the sidelines of the General Assembly will discuss response options.
“All member countries should speak forcefully in one voice on this vital issue,” he said, referring to the 57 countries making up the Islamic bloc.
Ihsanoglu said he had spoken to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Arab League secretary-general Nabil Al-Arabi about the need for “international measures to avoid a repetition of such provocative incidents.”
Al-Arabi said separately that the 22-member Arab League was working closely with Islamic, European and African countries to draw up an international convention penalizing the “defamation” of religions.
Early this week Nasrallah, in a rare public appearance, told a rally of supporters that the Lebanese government must demand a meeting of the Arab League to formulate a response to what Hezbollah’s website called a “sacrilegious anti-Islam film insulting Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him and his chaste progeny).”
“All governments and people are required to put their utmost effort and exercise pressure on the international community to issue an international resolution and pass laws that criminalize such acts of insulting monotheistic religions,” he declared.
Nasrallah, a leading terrorist with close ties to Syria and Iran, suggested that an insufficient response from Muslims would be blasphemous in itself.
“The Muslim world’s failure to come up with international laws that incriminate abuse against Islam will be tantamount to an offense against the Prophet Mohammed,” he added.
Immediately after Nasrallah spoke, the Lebanese government announced it was requesting an emergency meeting of the Arab League to discuss the matter.
Freedom of expression and minorities’ religious freedom in the balance
For more than a decade, the OIC has been calling for the outlawing of “religious defamation,” pushing through resolutions at the U.N. General Assembly and human rights bodies each year.
Western democracies opposed the move, until last year the Obama administration and OIC co-sponsored a compromise resolution condemning stigmatization based on religion but differing from the earlier “defamation” measures by not calling for legal restrictions – except in the specific case of religion-based “incitement to imminent violence.”
The U.S. portrayed the resolution as a breakthrough after years of polarizing debate, but the OIC made it clear that its “defamation” campaign wassuspended, not dead.
With signs that it will now be revived, critics see cause for concern.
“In light of the recent demonstrations and attacks in the name of Allah, it is likely that the United Nations will see a renewed push for a defamation of religions resolution,” Tiffany Barrans, International Legal Director at the American Center for Law and Justice said Wednesday.
“This push should be emphatically rejected by those who wish to preserve freedom of expression and open dialogue and debate about religion.”
Barrans noted that OIC members such as Pakistan and Indonesia repeatedly have said they would push for a new global law.
“International human rights standards derive from the inherent dignity of humankind as individuals,” she said. “One does not have to look too deep into Pakistan’s or Indonesia’s own blasphemy laws to know that to expand human rights to include rights belonging to ideologies or belief systems places minorities – those whom human rights laws are designed to protect – at risk.”
Barrans pointed to a recent case involving a young Pakistani Christian girlwith Down syndrome falsely accused of under blasphemy laws which she said “empower ruling majorities against weak minorities and dissenters.”
“All nations that respect religious freedom and freedom of expression should take a strong stance against any push for a defamations-of-religions resolution,” she argued. “A person’s right to freedom of expression, even expression that might be deemed offensive, is considered a ‘cornerstone right,’ without which other rights fall into jeopardy.”
2. The Malaysian Insider （http://www.themalaysianinsider.com）
Anti-Islam clip condemned by churches and interfaith group, 20 September 2012
by Ida Lim
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 ; The anti-Islam video clip “Innocence of Muslims” that mocks the Prophet Muhammad has received strong condemnation from the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) and the interfaith group Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST).
Rev Thomas Philips, vice-president of MCCBCHST, opposed the video clip that was made in the US, saying: “We are very clear we don’t accept this.”
“In America there is the freedom of expression but it should not be used to abuse, insult or incite others. This is an individual action that is very insensitive to another religion and needs to be condemned.
“I don’t think anybody has a right to hurt anybody’s feelings,” Philips said. “We need to respect every culture and religion and not to offend anybody.”
He did not view the incident as affecting the relationships of the multi-faith community in Malaysia.
“In Malaysia we have learned to live in harmony with one another... recognise each others’ beliefs,” he said.
Rev Hermen Shastri, secretary-general of Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM), denounced the video which he described as the “work of irresponsible individuals” that should not “be taken seriously.”
“The Council of Churches denounces anyone who seeks to derogate the religions of others and most especially to do it with the intent of causing spiritual hurt to believers of the religion.”
But he said that “to respond through violent demonstrations is to play into the hands of those seeking to upset the good relations between religions.”
The video has sparked worldwide protests, including one in Libya where the US ambassador and three other Americans were killed last week.
“The CCM regrets that lives have been lost and property destroyed as a result of this episode. When this happens the only victors are the extremists,” Shastri said.
“In a country like ours we reject those who seek to denigrate others and also reject a violent response to such people.”
Shastri also said that Malaysians “do not allow such irresponsible elements to derail the good relations we experience between faith communities.”
“We should offer proper teachings of our religions within our fold and not worry about the crazy accusations made by those who hold extremists views and use the Internet... with the intent to destroy good relations between faith communities.
“Another lesson to learn is to be aware of how the media seeks to play up inter-religious issues by offering a voice to extremist elements who only speak for themselves and do not represent the official views of the faith community,” he added.
Umno Youth will stage a protest tomorrow, and PAS has also protested against the video clip.
The crudely made 13-minute English-language film was shot in California and circulated on the Internet under several titles including “Innocence of Muslims”.
Clips of the film posted on the Internet since July have been attributed to a man by the name of Sam Bacile, which two people linked to the film have said was likely an alias.
For many Muslims, any depiction of the Prophet is blasphemous. Caricatures deemed insulting in the past have provoked protests and drawn condemnations from officials, preachers, ordinary Muslims and many Christians.
Reuters news agency has reported that a California man convicted of bank fraud was taken in for questioning on Saturday by officers investigating possible probation violations stemming from the making of the video clip.
Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, voluntarily left his home in the early hours of Saturday morning for the meeting at a sheriff’s station in the Los Angeles suburb of Cerritos.
Nakoula, who has denied involvement in the film in a phone call to his Coptic Christian bishop, was ushered out of his home and into a waiting car by several sheriff’s deputies, his face shielded by a scarf, hat and sunglasses.
3. Free Malaysia Today (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com)
French cartoon:‘No right to incite, hurt or insult’, 20 September 2012
by K Pragalath
However, they said the protest should be done against the publisher, not the governments.
PETALING JAYA: Non-Muslim organisations have come forward to condemn the latest publication that has put Prophet Muhammad in a bad light.
Reverand Thomas Philips, the vice-president of the Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST), said that the publication was an abuse of one’s freedom of expression.
“You do not have the right to incite, hurt, or insult anyone. This act provokes the Muslims. We condemn this abuse of freedom and we stand with our Muslim brothers in condemning it,” said Philips.
He said this in reaction to a series of cartoons that was published by a French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, that depicted Prophet Muhammad in the nude.
One of the caricatures entitled Mohammad: A Star is Born portrays a bearded figure crouching over to display his buttocks and genitals.
The publishers of the magazine claimed that it is an attempt to poke fun at the American movie, Innocence of Muslims, that had triggered an uproar among Muslims worldwide.
The French government in anticipation of world-wide protest had advised against the publication of the cartoon but the publishers went ahead.
France has raised its security level at its embassies in countries where there could be a hostile reaction to the cartoons, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said, adding that he was “concerned” by the potential for a backlash.
There has been an ongoing series of protests in Muslim countries ever since Innocence of Muslims was released.
There have been many casualties during this protest. A major protest on Tuesday last week in front of the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, led to the death of US Ambassador J Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
‘An abominable act’
Herald Catholic Weekly editor, Father Lawrence Andrew, also condemned the French publication.
“The act is abominable. It is unjust to people of any religion.
“They [the magazine] do not recognise the sacredness of religion. We do not condone their actions when sacredness of any religion is desecrated.”
Andrew also wants publisher of Charlie Hebdo to withdraw the controversial edition.
“We want them to withdraw and apologise to Muslims. In no way does it help for us to live as brothers and sisters in this world that was created by God.”
Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM) general-secretary, Hermen Shastri, also echoed similar sentiments.
“We condemn any attempt to denigrate or mock any religion,” he said, adding that the action is done by people with ill-intent and does not represent any religion.
“They are representing themselves and are not worthy of the attention that they are receiving,” Shastri said, adding that while there “should be protests”, the demonstration, however, should not be against the government.
“They should protest against the publishers… because we can’t blame the government,” Shastri added.
(End）
