2011 Victories: UN Prohibits use of Shariah (Islamic) Law for Persecution

By 

Matthew Clark

|
December 30, 2011

2 min read

United Nations

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This is the latest installment in a year-end series looking back at a few of the hundreds of victories by the ACLJ in 2011.

Religious persecution is rampant in the world today, and it is even more dangerous for Christians in Muslim nations ruled by Shariah (Islamic) law. Islamic governments often use Shariah law to persecute Christians and other faiths by imposing blasphemy and apostasy laws. One prominent example of this is the case of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who has been sentenced to execution for his faith in Iran.

The ACLJ, along with our international affiliate the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), have long worked to defend religious liberty globally. This year the ECLJ, which holds special consultative status at the United Nations (UN), submitted official recommendations to the UN that religious liberty should be protected over laws against blasphemy and that nations should not be permitted to use Shariah law to restrict religious liberty.

The UN Human Rights Committee agreed, incorporating both of these recommendations in its official interpretation of how countries should respect freedom of expression. This is a victory for religious liberty in some of the most repressive areas of the world. Due to our recommendations, the UN has made it clear to the world that international law does not allow counties to use Shariah law to impose restrictions on religious expression.

To help the ACLJ continue to have the resources we need to make these victories possible and continue these fights, please consider making a donation to the ACLJ through our year-end Matching Challenge. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar though the end of the year.

You can read more in the ACLJ’s 2011 Victories series here.