Sacrificing free speech won't appease fanatics

... Law professor and FindLaw.com columnist Marci Hamilton this past week called out the Obama administration for its willingness to compromise. Michael Posner -- the assistant U.S. secretary of state for human rights, democracy and labor -- worked with Egypt to draft compromise language for the U.N. resolution that condemns religion-oriented harassment and discrimination, making a fragile distinction from defamation. [Las Vegas Review-Journal] Read more [via National Secular Society]

America comes out in opposition to defamation of religion move Christian groups around the world have joined human rights and civil liberties organisations in opposing the reintroduction of a motion at the United Nations Human Rights Council that would outlaw “defamation of religious” – in effect an international blasphemy law.

The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), a bloc of 56 Islamic states, is proposing the non-binding motion, as it has done every year since 1999. In effect, it would make it illegal to “defame religion” anywhere in the world, although the only religion named in the motion is Islam. [National Secular Society] Read more