Combating Defamation of Religions
Liaquat Ali Khan

A new value is emerging in the realm of the peoples’ rights. Now two years in a row, the United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution called, Combating Defamation of Religions.1

Although the Defamation Resolution applies to all religions, it highlights “the negative projection of Islam in the media and the introduction and enforcement of laws that specifically discriminate against and target Muslims.” The Defamation Resolution, first introduced in the 60th Sessio(2005) of the General Assembly,2 however, has failed to gain universal approval. The West is particularly opposed to the Defamation Resolution. In the 61st Session held in December 2006, the Defamation Resolution gathered slightly more support than before. Still, the opposition persists.

The General Assembly resolutions may contain soft international law. With the passage of time and compliant state behavior, some resolutions pave the way for the formation of a multilateral treaty or customary international law. In almost all cases, these resolutions reflect the international community’s views, which cannot be dismissed as mere opinions. These views, even when they fall short of opinio juris, influence multilateral relations and compose the sociology of international law. This article briefly examines the Defamation Resolution’s contents and the voting pattern to highlight the differing ideological viewpoints that inform the defamation debate.

Contents of Defamation Resolution

Taking into account the negative stereotyping of religions that exist in various regions of the world, the Defamation Resolution proclaims that defamation of religions causes social disharmony and leads to violations of human rights. The Resolution notes that in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the United States, Islam has been frequently and wrongly associated with terrorism, and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities is becoming more and more acceptable. The Defamation Resolution deplores the use of print and electronic
media to incite xenophobia against Islam or any other religion. It also condemns physical attacks on places of worship and religious symbols.

Furthermore, the Defamation Resolution urges states to prevent political institutions and organizations from fomenting discrimination, hostility, and violence against religious groups. It also urges states to complement their legal systems with intellectual and moral strategies to combat religious hatred and intolerance. The Resolution calls upon the international community to initiate a global dialogue between civilizations to promote a culture of tolerance and an awareness of religious diversity.

Global events support the urgency of the Defamation Resolution, and the focus on Islam is far from arbitrary. In the United States, for example, politicians, journalists, and even university professors associate Islam and Muslims with gratuitous violence and barbarism.3 It is becoming fashionable in the media and politics to associate Islamic Puritanism with fascism and to insinuate that Islam is evil. Although some elected officials warn against stereotyping Islam and Muslims, others do the opposite. Recently, a Congressman from Virginia proposed a ban on legal immigration from Muslim countries. This xenophobic proposal was made in reaction to the election of the first Muslim to the House of Representatives.4

Fanned by politicians and journalists, the popular views of Islam are becoming increasingly negative. Six in ten Americans believe that Islam is violent, and one in four admits to having prejudice against Muslims.5 The negative images of Islam, freely disseminated through movies, radio talk shows, and even some church pulpits, are hardly new; they are deeply etched in Western memories. Karen Armstrong traces them back to the 11th century Crusades.6 In Europe, Muslim immigrants from North Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East are caricatured to recast ancient prejudices in fresh language. Though hundreds of Europeans and Americans are embracing Islam as their religion of choice, the passions against Islam are steely and combustible.