The Oslo Coalition on
Freedom of Religion or Belief has released a draft “Code of Conduct for
Missionary Activities.” Comments on the draft are due by
http://www.oslocoalition.org/mhr_cc_draft.php
THE TANDEM PROJECT
UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
PROSELYTISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS: THE
RIGHT TO TRY TO CONVINCE THE
OTHER
Issue: Conflict resolution - missionary activity
and propagation of religion or belief.
For: United Nations, Governments, Religions or Beliefs,
Academia, NGOs, Media, Civil Society
Review: The Oslo Coalition Project
on “Proselytism and Human Rights: The Right to try to Convince the Other” is
among the best examples of how to use the Eight Articles of the 1981 UN
Declaration to assess substantive human rights issues. The Background Statement
for this Project is available under the 1981 UN Declaration and linked at the
end of this Issue Statement. In 2007 the Project was re-named “Missionary
Activities and Human Rights.” The Oslo Coalition Work Program for this Project
in 2007 is linked at the end of this Issue Statement. The Oslo Coalition
website for this Project reads, “The aim of this project is to contribute, on
the basis of human rights, to the resolution of conflicts
arising from missionary activities.”
International Standards for
National and Local Applications
Objective: Build understanding and support for
Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights –Everyone
shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion - and the
1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Encourage the United Nations,
Governments, Religions or Beliefs, Academia, NGOs, Media and Civil Society to
use international human rights standards as essential for long-term
solutions to conflicts based on religion or belief.
Challenge: In 1968 the United Nations deferred work on an
International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Religious
Intolerance, because of its apparent complexity and sensitivity. In the
twenty-first century, a dramatic increase of intolerance and discrimination on
grounds of religion or belief is motivating a worldwide search to find
solutions to these problems. This is a challenge calling for enhanced dialogue
by States and others; including consideration of an International Convention on
Freedom of Religion or Belief for protection of and accountability by all
religions or beliefs. The tensions in today’s world inspire a question such as:
Response: Is it the appropriate moment to
reinitiate the drafting of a legally binding international convention on
freedom of religion or belief? Law making of this nature requires a minimum
consensus and an environment that appeals to reason rather than emotions. At
the same time we are on a learning curve as the various dimensions of the
Declaration are being explored. Many academics have produced voluminous books
on these questions but more ground has to be prepared before setting up of a UN
working group on drafting a convention. In my opinion, we should not try to
rush the elaboration of a Convention on Freedom of Religion or Belief,
especially not in times of high tensions and unpreparedness. - UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief,
Option: After forty years this may be the time, however
complex and sensitive, for the United Nations Human Rights Council to appoint
an Open-ended Working Group to draft a United Nations Convention on Freedom of
Religion or Belief. The mandate of an Open-ended Working Group ought to assure
nothing in a draft Convention will be construed as restricting or derogating
from any right defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
International Covenants on Human Rights, and the 1981 UN Declaration on the
Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion
or Belief. One writer has said; “Religion raises the stakes of human conflict much higher than
tribalism, racism, or politics ever can…it casts the differences between people
in terms of eternal rewards and punishments.”
Concept: Separation of Religion or
Belief and State – SOROBAS. The starting point for this concept is the First
Preamble to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights; “Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable
rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice
and peace in the world. It suggests
States recalling their history, culture and constitution adopt fair and equal
human rights protection for all religions or beliefs as described in General
Comment 22 on Article 18, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,
UN Human Rights Committee,
Dialogue & Education
Dialogue: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki
Moon, at a UN backed Alliance of Civilizations Forum in January 2008 addressed
the importance of dialogue; “Never in our lifetime has there been a more
desperate need for constructive
and committed dialogue, among individuals,
among communities, among cultures, among and between nations.” A writer in
another setting said, “The warning signs are clear: unless we establish genuine dialogue within and among all kinds of belief,
ranging from religious fundamentalism to secular dogmatism, the conflicts of
the future will probably be even more deadly.” Solutions to conflicts over
religious or philosophical ideology call for dialogue on the purpose of international law on freedom of religion or
belief; and the value of these standards for
regional, national and local applications.
Education:
______________________________________________________________________________
Extracts: Extracts are presented under the Eight Articles of
the 1981 U.N. Declaration on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and of
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief. Examples of extracts are presented prior
to an Issues Statement for each Tandem Project
Review.
1. 1 Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion. This right shall include
freedom to have a religion or whatever belief of his choice, and freedom,
either individually or in community with others and in public or private, to
manifest his religion or belief in worship, observance, practices and teaching.
The right to engage in faith persuasion is not
explicitly mentioned in art. 18. However, this will normally be a part of the
“manifestation” of a belief, cf. paragraph 1 of the article – as “teaching” or
as “practice”, the latter covering all thinkable forms of manifestations that
are not explicitly mentioned in the article.[5] In some religions,
the believers are urged by the religious doctrines to try to spread the faith.
And for all beliefs, as long as the believer is strongly convinced, he or she
will have a natural wish to try to convince others of the “truth” - if the
“truth” is decisive for an afterlife as well, this wish may be strong. Even
if not being an integral part of a religion's or belief's dogmas, such kind of
faith persuasion is covered by the phrase “manifestation. – The
The right to engage in faith persuasion is not
explicitly mentioned in art. 18. However, this will normally be a part of the
“manifestation” of a belief, cf. para. 1 of the article – as “teaching” or as
“practice”, the latter covering all thinkable forms of manifestations that are
not explicitly mentioned in the article.[5]
In some religions, the believers are urged by the religious doctrines to try to
spread the faith. And for all beliefs, as long as the believer is strongly convinced,
he or she will have a natural wish to try to convince others of the “truth” -
if the “truth” is decisive for an afterlife as well, this wish may be strong.
Even if not being an integral part of a religion's or belief's dogmas, such
kind of faith persuasion is covered by the phrase “manifestation”. –
The
Falling within the ambit of art. 18 (1), the state
may not interfere in proselytism activities without this being legitimate after
para. 3 of the article (the “negative obligation”), cf. para. 6 below.
Furthermore, the state has a “positive obligation”, to “ensure” the right: [6]
The state is obliged to give its citizens protection against clear violations
from other citizens who do not respect this right. Thus, the state may be
obliged to protect an adherent of a minority belief, trying to convince a
member of the majority religion, against harassment from the majority. –
The
ISSUE STATEMENT: This
Oslo Coalition project has been re-named Missionary Activities and Human
Rights. The Project Group’s proposed activities for 2007 included; “a report on
a seminar (in Norwegian) entitled ‘What is a Christian and Muslim Mission?’;
publication of a report from last year’s August seminar…; an international
working group strategy to evaluate results so far and map a course forward; and
a delegation visit to the Vatican and the World Council of Churches.” This Work
Program is available on the Oslo Coalition website linked here and at the end
of this Issue Statement, http://www.oslocoalition.org.
Missionaries who try to
convince the other are among the most solid holders of their beliefs. Education
programs for missionaries on a shared code of conduct
goes to the heart of religious ideology. Will these shared codes be available
for all places of worship, religious schools and non-religious associations?
The Ambassador-at-Large of the Netherlands for Human Rights, Piet de Klerk, at
the 25 Year Anniversary Commemoration of the 1981 UN Declaration, 25 November
2006, Prague, Czech Republic stated – “Our educational systems need to provide
children with a broad orientation: from the very beginning, children should be
taught that their own religion is one out of many and that it is a personal
choice for everyone to adhere to the religion or belief by which he or she
feels most inspired, or to adhere to no religion or belief at all.” Can a
variation on this recommendation be taught to missionary
children as part of a shared code of conduct?
Michael M. Roan is a
member of the Oslo Coalition International Advisory Council.
http://www.oslocoalition.org/documents/mhrworkshop.doc
http://www.oslocoalition.org/mhr.php
The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights First
Preamble affirms: “Whereas recognition of the inherent
dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human
family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. This principle suggests all States recalling their history,
culture and constitution, provide equal protection by law for theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right not
to profess any religion or belief. This is recognized as
international law by States parties to the United Nations Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights. International Human Rights Standards on Freedom of Religion
or Belief may be essential for long term solutions
to conflicts based on religion or belief.
The Tandem Project: a non-profit, non-governmental
organization established in 1986 to build understanding and respect for
diversity of religion or belief, and prevent discrimination in matters relating
to freedom of religion or belief. The Tandem Project has sponsored multiple
conferences, curricula, reference materials and programs on Article 18 of the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – Everyone shall have the
right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion - and the 1981 United
Nations Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and
Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.
The Tandem Project initiative was launched in 1986 as
the result of a co-founder representing the World Federation of United Nations
Associations (WFUNA) at a 1984 United Nations Geneva Seminar, Encouragement of Understanding, Tolerance
and Respect in Matters Relating to Freedom of Religion or Belief,
called by the UN Secretariat on ways to implement the 1981 UN Declaration. In
1986, The Tandem Project organized the first NGO International Conference on
the 1981 UN Declaration.
The Tandem Project
Executive Director: Michael M. Roan, mroan@tandemproject.com.
Documents Attached:
PROSELYTISM AND HUMAN RIGHTS - THE RIGHT TO TRY TO CONVINCE THE OTHER
RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS - JOINT EFFORT TO CREATE COMMON CODE OF CONDUCT
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS - ARTICLE 18 AND 1981 UN DECLARATION
The Tandem Project is a UN NGO in
Special Consultative Status with the
Economic and Social Council of
the United Nations