A disappointing resolution dealing with the protection of religious rights and freedom of speech appears to be moving forward at the United Nations.
While the resolution itself reflects the increasingly dysfunctional nature of the U.N. makeup, I was pleased to read about Canada’s opposition to the resolution and defense of individual rights:
Canada and other Western countries emphasize the distinction between granting an “idea†rights – and defending the right of people not to be discriminated against.
“Canada rejects the basic premise that religions have rights; human rights belong to human beings,†said Catherine Loubier, spokeswoman for Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon.
“The focus [here] should not be on protecting religions, but rather on protecting the rights of the adherents of religions, including of people belonging to religious minorities, or people who may choose to change their religion, or not to practice religion at all.â€
Muslim countries say they are only trying to cut down of what they see as extensive bias against Islam in the Western world. In the lead-up to Monday’s vote, many referred, for example, to the 2005 publication of Danish cartoons that satirized Muhammad, and which touched off riots through the Muslim world.
