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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.  Email this story to a friend
Comments on this story
Nik1
10-27-09, 02:29 AM |
Clinton says no to ban on religious defamation
There are religious teaches who have raped, killed innocents, looted others protprty.
So if you say they are Rapist etc. you will be punished for stating an actual fact!
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Anonymous
10-27-09, 06:21 AM |
Free speech and free mind
we must be free to question and must be free to learn.. This is the natural order! Otherwise, the world would still be flat and the inquisition would still be buring people at the stake.. If we did not learn we would still be in caves
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Dark1
10-27-09, 09:59 AM |
Wake up
The stated goal for all muslim extremists is that they are to be the only religion. Wherever they are in charge, it is illegal to be any other religion. To convert to another religion is a death penalty crime. Freedom of religion is a personal freedom. Let’s keep it that way. Wake up people before it is too late.
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Anonymous
10-27-09, 05:33 PM |
Control
Muslim countries are all about control. They are afraid that once people are educated about their religion they will leave it. Thus they must control their peoples access to information.
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