EU concerned by growing use of religious defamation laws worldwide

"The European Union wants to stop the growing worldwide trend of using religious defamation laws to limit free speech. EU diplomats in Geneva are asking United Nations human rights experts Wednesday to suggest ways to protect freedom of expression better in the face increasing legal threats. Slovenia, which holds the rotating EU presidency, says journalists around the world face harsh penalties ranging from indirect censorship to heavy fines. Germany says it is particularly worried about a recently signed Arab charter that limits broadcasters' rights. Islamic countries are pushing for stricter international laws against religious defamation in the wake of Muslim anger over cartoons of their prophet Muhammad."

International Herald Tribune, March 12, 2008

Islamists Turn UN Human Rights Body into a Laughing Stock

"Last week the United Nations' Human Rights Council condemned "defamation" of religion, and called upon member states to ban literature and other materials containing "racist or xenophobic ideas" that might lead to hostility against religious groups, although Islam is the only religion mentioned in the resolution.

[...]

None of the representatives took a position aggressively defending the virtues of free expression and secularism. The nearest we got to this came from Birgitta Siefker-Eberle of Germany who said that an "on-going dialogue" was the best way of resolving differences, and that it was problematic to reconcile "defamation" with discrimination."

Humaniststudies.org, Apr. 11, 2006