Clinton says free speech at risk in Islamic defamation idea

Baltimore News.Net
Monday 26th October, 2009

The Obama administration has been strongly negative over efforts by Islamic nations to bar the defamation of religions.

Saying the moves would restrict free speech, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters she strongly disagreed that the best way to protect the freedom of religion would be to implement so-called anti-defamation policies.

As to the Organisation of the Islamic Conference pressing the UN Human Rights Council to adopt a resolution that would broadly condemn the defamation of religion, she said: "I strongly disagree."

Clinton said a person’s ability to practice their religion was entirely unrelated to another person’s right to free speech, since people of different faith would inevitably hold divergent views on religious questions.

She said: "These differences should be met with tolerance, not with the suppression of discourse."

Clinton was speaking during the release of the State Department’s annual report on international religious freedom, which has criticized Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea and Sudan for violating religious freedoms.

It is possible the designations will be accompanied with sanctions.

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