Islamic-Led "Defamation of Religions" UN Resolution Continues to Lose Support

There's encouraging news from the United Nations.  The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) - the bloc of 57 Muslim countries at the U.N. - has been dealt another blow in its ongoing effort to stifle religious speech in the pursuit of special protections for Islam.
 
As you may know, weve been engaged for several years in an effort to defeat what's become known as the "Combating Defamation of Religions" resolution, which is a U.N. resolution offered by the OIC that amounts to little more than U.N.-sanctioned stifling of religious speech.  This resolution has been approved by the U.N. in some form every year since 1999. 

However, in recent years, as we have engaged more and more delegations and provided them with the facts on how this resolution is a dangerous threat to religious freedom, support for the measure has rapidly dwindled. 
 
Last year, for the first time, the number of "no" votes combined with the number of abstentions outnumbered the "yes" votes, and the resolution passed with only a plurality of support.
 
On Tuesday, in the Third Committee of the General Assembly, we achieved a new all-time high in opposition to bill, with only 76 nations voting "yes" - 64 voting "no" and 42 abstaining.  This 12-vote margin (down from about 60 just a few years ago) marks a continued move in the right direction, and we're encouraged by the outcome of this year's vote in the Third Committee.
 
In an effort to stop the slide of support, the Islamic-led member nations tried to make the resolution more palatable this year by incorporating some amendments and, this year, instead of defamation of religion, it speaks of "vilification."  The amendments and revisions do not change the fact that this measure - no matter what you call it - remains a dangerous threat to religious freedom.

U.S. Delegate John Sammis underscored the fact that the changes aren't enough and explained why the U.S. voted against it:  "The resolution still seeks to curtail and penalize speech.  The changes ... unfortunately do not get to the heart of our concerns -- the text's negative implications for both freedom of religion and freedom of expression."
 
There's no question this effort to protect Islam represents a serious threat to religious freedom internationally - and to Christians, specifically, who face grave danger for practicing their faith in predominantly Muslim countries.
 
The resolution has been losing ground every year since 2007, with the difference between yes and no votes dropping from 57 that year to 33 in 2008, and to 19 last year.
 
We will continue to shine a spotlight on this measure and will continue our work with U.N. delegations in providing the facts about the dangers of this resolution.
 
There will be another vote in the full U.N. General Assembly next month, and we will continue to stay engaged.  This year's vote adds to the momentum that's been underway for a number of years now.  I am hopeful we will see this disturbing measure continue to lose support.
 
This is a lengthy struggle, but we remain committed to seeing it through.  Religious liberty around the world depends on it.