Two recent speeches by Asma Jahangir, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief, are in the news as the UN official expresses concern about blasphemy laws and about illegal conduct undertaken in the name of religion.
In an Oct. 25 speech to the NGO, Committee for Freedom of Religion or Belief, she warned against countries going too far in banning defamation against religion. According to the Adventist News Network, Jahangir argued that "objective criticism" of religion is a human right, and expressed concern that blasphemy laws can be used to silence dissent. She also rejected analogies between racial hatred and religious hatred, saying: "religion is unlike race -- you cannot proselytize to change [your] race. There are serious differences."
Speaking on Oct. 26 before the General Assembly’s Social, Humanitarian and Cultural (Third) Committee, Jahangir warned against the use of religion as an excuse for criminal action that encroaches on the rights of others. A UN News Centre release quotes her: "No impunity should be awarded when criminal acts which infringe on the human rights of others are given a religious label. At the same time, all governmental actions should be proportionate, abide by the rule of law and respect the applicable international human rights standards."
