THE
TANDEM PROJECT
http://www.tandemproject.com
info@tandemproject.com
UNITED
NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF
Separation
of Religion or Belief and State
FOR FRENCH IMAM, ISLAM’S TRUE ENEMY IS RADICALISM:
U.S. ENVOY TO BE LINK TO ISLAM & QATAR UNIVERSAL
PERIODIC REVIEW
Available in other languages: click here if the language box does not display.
Issue: The
Need for Open and Inclusive Dialogue on Freedom of Religion or Belief at local
levels in France, United States and Qatar.
For:
United Nations, Governments,
Religions or Beliefs, Academia, NGOs, Media, Civil Society
Review: For
a French Imam, Islam’s True Enemy is Radicalism, by Stephen Erlanger, New York Times: 13 February 2010;
U.S. Envoy to be Link to Islam, by Helene Cooper, New York Times: 14
February 2010; Qatar- Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or
Belief.
Excerpts:
“Asked if the choice to wear the full
veil was not also an expression of freedom, Mr. Chalghoumi said simply,
‘Freedom has limits,’ adding: If some acts of freedom stir hatred; it’s not
good. And will it show the good side of Islam? I don’t think so. One has to
respect the feelings of others.” “Mr. Chalghoumi dismisses the criticism.
What frightens him are ignorance and radicalism.”
“He
supports what is constitutionally unacceptable in secular France-voluntary
religious education in secular schools. “When it comes to teaching Islam, if we
don’t do it ourselves, others will,” he said. “They will take our children.”
This New York Times article points to on-going
differences at international, national and local levels on freedom of religion
or belief, in this case, between Islam and the West. At the International level
this is most visibly demonstrated by the votes on defamation of religions,
freedom of expression and freedom of religion or belief. Sweden speaking on
behalf of the European Union made this statement:
UN
Vote on Defamation of Religions:
“Before taking action, the
representative of Sweden spoke in explanation of vote, saying she had
called for a vote on behalf of the European Union. Their position on the
draft was based on its strong belief in tolerance, non-discrimination, and
freedom of expression, thought, religion or belief. “They believed that
continuous dialogue could help overcoming gaps in perceptions, concepts and
ideas. They shared the Organization of the Islamic Conference’s concern
that people were routinely victimized on the grounds of religion or belief, and
that more needed to be done to deal with persons who incited violence or hatred
through legal means. But, they could not agree with the Organization of
the Islamic Conference (OIC) on the concept of defamation of religion as a
response to such discrimination, because it would limit freedom of expression
and might endanger the atmosphere of tolerance that would enable people of
different religions or beliefs to coexist without fear.” Vote
on Defamation of Religions
The UN Human Rights Council by a vote of 23 for, 11
against and 13 abstaining passed a UN Resolution on Combating Defamation of
Religion (A/HRC/10/L.2/Rev.1) on 26 March, 2009.
Mr.
Imran Ahmed Siddiqui, Pakistan Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva, spoke at a
Parallel meeting in the tenth session of the UN Human Rights Council. The
Parallel meeting was sponsored by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: “10
years of Defamation of Religions: Is there an alternative?” Mr. Siddiqui
speaking on behalf the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) expressed
this tension: “We are dealing with two worlds that have totally
different world views.”
U.S. Secretary of State
Clinton’s Remarks at Islamic World Forum
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2010/02/136678.htm
Over 300 Muslim and Western government officials,
business people, scholars, and religious figures were in attendance this week
at the U.S. - Islamic World Forum sponsored by the government of Qatar and the
U.S. based Brookings Institution.
From: National Report Qatar UPR: Hosting global
conferences
“Qatar’s efforts to contribute effectively to
international moves to promote and protect human rights flow from the
principles enshrined in the national Constitution and, in particular, from
Qatar’s commitment to respect international instruments and covenants and
endeavour to implement all the international agreements to which it is party.
The Constitution requires foreign policy to be guided by the principles of
consolidating peace and security, respect for human rights, renunciation of
violence and the use of force, encouraging the peaceful settlement of
international disputes and cooperation with peace loving nations. In this
context, it should be pointed out that Qatar has a policy of openness towards
hosting global conferences on development issues, democracy, human rights and
promoting a culture of peace. It hosted the Second Global Conference on
Financing for Development and also hosts the annual Forum on Democracy,
Development and Free Trade, the Doha Conference on Interfaith Dialogue and the
US-Islamic -World Forum. It hosted the Sixth International Conference of New or
Restored Democracies, the second meeting of the High Level Group for Alliance
of Civilizations, the Second Conference of National Human Rights Institutions
in the Arab World and the Second Forum on Democracy and Political Reform in the
Arab world” (Attachment).
The Tandem Project question is whether participants in
this Interfaith Forum referred to human rights standards on freedom of religion
or belief, to ensure they are understood and available to all people at
national and local levels. Rights-based values, when embedded in human rights
law, are protection against all forms of intolerance and discrimination based
on religion or belief. Freedom of religion or belief is an inviolable principle
of democracy and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It is an encouraging sign that the Qatar government in
the National Report will revisit becoming a State Party to the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights, and consider removing restrictions on some other
international human rights treaties. Qatar also is host since 2009 to the
offices of the United Nations Human Rights Training & Documentation Center
for South-west Asia and Arab Region.
Qatar still outlaws proselytism by non-Muslims and the
penalty may be up to ten years in prison. They restrict public worship and
conversion from Islam is still considered Apostasy.
Surely
one of the best hopes for humankind is to embrace a culture in which religions
and other beliefs accept one another, in which wars and violence are not
tolerated in the name of an exclusive right to truth, in which children are
raised to solve conflicts with mediation, compassion and
understanding.
1981 UN Declaration:
Articles Relevant to New York Times Story.
Freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief may be
subject only to such limitations as are prescribed by law and are necessary to
protect public safety, order, health, morals or the fundamental rights and
freedoms of others.
To make, acquire and use to an adequate extent the
necessary articles and materials related to the rites and customs of a religion
or belief;
Every child shall enjoy the right to have access to
education in the matter of religion or belief in accordance with the wishes of
his parents or, as the case may be, legal guardians, and shall not be compelled
to receive teaching on religion or belief against the wishes of his parents or
legal guardians; the best interests of the child being the guiding principle.
The child shall be protected from any form of
discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief. He shall be brought up in
a spirit of understanding, tolerance, friendship among peoples, peace and
universal brotherhood, respect for the freedom of religion or belief of others
and in full consciousness that his energy and talents should be devoted to the
service of his fellow men.
UN Human Rights Committee
General Comment 48 on Article 18 of the ICCPR
http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/9a30112c27d1167cc12563ed004d8f15?Opendocument
Article
18 protects theistic, non-theistic and atheistic beliefs, as well as the right
not to profess any religion or belief. The terms "belief" and
"religion" are to be broadly construed. Article 18 is not limited in
its application to traditional religions or to religions and beliefs with
institutional characteristics or practices analogous to those of traditional
religions. The Committee therefore views with concern any tendency to
discriminate against any religion or belief for any reason, including the fact
that they are newly established, or represent religious minorities that may be
the subject of hostility on the part of a predominant religious community.
Attachments: For French Imam, Islam’s True Enemy is Radicalism and U.S. Envoy to be Link to Islam; Freedom of Religion or Belief – a
Mandate without Consensus; Qatar – Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of
Religion or Belief