Several weeks ago we wrote on the ACL blog encouraging people to sign a petition in support of religious freedom that was organised by Open Doors, an international organisation working with persecuted Christians and operating in over 65 countries across the globe.

The international petition, which asks the General Assembly of the United Nations not to pass the ‘defamation of religions resolution’, was recently presented to the UN’s assistant secretary general for human rights, Ivan Simonovic (see video here). The petition received over 428,000 signatures from people in more than 70 countries, including 27,000 Australians.

The defamation of religions resolution is a proposal that has been promoted internationally by the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), an organisation of 57 countries with significant Muslim populations, since 1999.

The resolution seeks to criminalise words or actions deemed to be against another religion, especially against Islam. If passed it would give international legitimacy to national laws that punish blasphemy or otherwise ban criticism of a religion. This would have a significant impact on freedom of religion for religious minorities in majority Muslim countries.

Despite dwindling support for the resolution in the UN’s Third Committee this year compared to last year, in what is the last step before going to the General Assembly, there are serious fears that the defamation of religions resolution will soon pass the General Assembly with a high number of abstentions.

According to a media report, Australia voted ‘no’ at the recent final committee, “but has equivocated in comparison with Britain, the US and New Zealand”. Further, “A Foreign Affairs Department spokesman . . . declined to guarantee that it would vote no in the General Assembly, saying the resolution might yet be amended”.

This is despite a letter from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, representing Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, to Open Doors stating that Australia would not support the defamation of religions resolution unless the text of the resolution is significantly improved, as previously reported on ACL’s blog.

The Age newspaper has also recently editorialised on the issue, arguing that, “Unless the resolution can be amended so that it clearly upholds rights to freedom of belief, religion and expression, Australia should oppose this potentially dangerous step towards a global blasphemy law”.

ACL, like many other organisations with a keen interest in the treatment of persecuted believers throughout the world, will continue to maintain a close watch on the outcome of the debate regarding the defamation of religions resolution at the UN. A final decision is expected in the coming week.

A recent editorial from The Washington Times on the issue is available by clicking here. For more information about Open Doors’ ‘Free to Believe’ campaign about the defamation of religions resolution, please click here.

Open Doors Australia’s ‘Free to Believe’ campaign has been boosted by a letter from the Australian Government stating that our nation is planning to vote against a United Nations resolution which impacts on religious freedom.

In a letter dated October 29, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (representing Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd) states that it is planning to vote against the ‘defamation of religions resolution’, unless the text of the resolution is significantly improved. Please click here to read the letter.

Open Doors’ ‘Free to Believe’ campaign is aimed at preventing the General Assembly of the United Nations from passing the ‘Defamation of Religions Resolution’ in New York later this month.

Several years ago the Organisation of Islamic Conference, an organisation of 57 countries with significant Muslim populations, introduced the resolution in order to criminalise words or actions deemed to be against another religion, especially against Islam.

If passed, the resolution would give international legitimacy to national laws that punish blasphemy or otherwise ban criticism of a religion. This would have a significant impact on the religious freedom and freedom of speech for religious minorities in majority Muslim countries.

Please support the Free to Believe campaign by visiting this site and signing the online petition. To date around 8,000 people have signed the Australian petition but far more signatures are needed to have maximum impact.

Supporters of religious freedom are asked to support a very important petition organised by Open Doors, an international organisation working with persecuted Christians and operating in over 65 countries across the globe.

Open Doors’ ‘Free to Believe’ campaign is aiming to prevent the General Assembly of the United Nations from passing the ‘Defamation of Religions Resolution’ in New York this December.

Several years ago the Organisation of Islamic Conference, an organisation of 57 countries with significant Muslim populations, introduced the Defamation of Religions Resolution in order to criminalise words or actions deemed to be against another religion, especially against Islam.

If passed, the Resolution would give international legitimacy to national laws that punish blasphemy or otherwise ban criticism of a religion. This would have a significant impact on the religious freedom and freedom of speech for religious minorities in majority Muslim countries.

Open Doors Australia reports that the Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Hon John Key, has responded by letter to the Open Doors New Zealand CEO confirming that New Zealand will again be voting against the Resolution in 2010.

Although Open Doors has also written to the Australian Government asking them to vote against the Resolution as they have done in the past, a response has not yet been forthcoming. Senator Guy Barnett alerted the Government to the issue in Senate Estimates this week.

Please support the Free to Believe campaign by visiting this site.

MEDIA RELEASE

For release: October 11, 2010

VCAT ruling says some rights more equal than others

The recent ruling of the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) to fine a youth camp owned by a Christian organisation for seeking to operate in accordance with its religious creed and ethos sets a dangerous precedent for religious freedom in the state, the Australian Christian Lobby’s Victorian Director, Rob Ward, said today.

“The decision of VCAT to fine Christian Youth Camps Limited, established and owned by the Christian Brethren, for refusing to accommodate Cobaw Community Health Service's Way Out project, which supports same-sex-attracted young people in rural areas, was a clear case of rights ideology triumphing over common sense.

“Although the State has a legitimate obligation to protect its citizens’ right to equality and freedom from unreasonable discrimination, it is equally obliged to protect the rights of religious believers to live in accordance with their genuinely held religious beliefs, as individuals and in community.

“Section 14 of Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 states that, ‘Every person has the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief, including the freedom to demonstrate his or her religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching, either individually or as part of a community, in public or in private’.

“It would appear that VCAT has overlooked the Government’s own directive to protect religious freedom in order to elevate equal opportunity to the top of the human rights pile”, Mr Ward said.

ACL has been particularly vocal in its opposition to both the Human Rights Act and the winding back of exemptions in Equal Opportunity Law for religious believers and faith communities because of fears their fundamental rights would be crushed by a minority rights agenda.

“This ruling demonstrates that our warnings about the growing intervention of human rights law have come to pass. There is now a dangerous hierarchy of rights, which not only tramples the rights of religious believers and their communities, but creates needless conflict between people from diverse social groups, beliefs and backgrounds.”

Mr Ward said that the Government and its human rights bureaucracy must do more to assure religious believers and faith organisations that it takes seriously their fundamental human rights to live and operate in accordance with genuinely held beliefs.

Mr Ward questioned the rationale of the VCAT ruling that Christian Youth Camps ‘are not entitled to impose their beliefs on others in a manner that denies them [Way Out] the enjoyment of their right to equality and freedom from discrimination’.

“It could equally be argued that the Way Out project is not entitled to impose its beliefs on others in a manner that denies them the enjoyment of their right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.”

Contact: Rob Ward 0408 348 352

[caption id="attachment_1135" align="alignright" width="300" caption="ACL's Victorian Director Rob Ward on Stateline"][/caption]

A homosexual youth group is seeking damages from a Christian campsite in Victoria because it did not wish to rent its facilities to a group that promoted homosexuality to young people.

The case could have wide-ranging ramifications for Christian schools, churches, charities and other organisations wishing to exercise religious freedom to follow Biblical teachings on sexuality.

ACL’s Victorian Director appeared on Stateline tonight defending religious freedom. Please click here to watch.