.... In 2011, the OIC did not put forward the annual "defamation of religions" resolution, and instead, both OIC member countries and Western countries, including the United States, replaced it with the vastly improved Resolution 16/18 entitled "Combating Intolerance, Negative Stereotyping and Stigmatization of, and Discrimination, Incitement to Violence and Violence Against, Persons Based on Religion or Belief."
It focused on the rights of individuals to be free of intolerance and discrimination based on religion while calling upon states to take concrete steps to protect religious freedom, prohibit dissemination and hate crimes, and counter offensive expression through dialogue, education and public debate rather than criminalization of speech.
In response to the calls for concrete actions, member states launched the Istanbul Process, which focuses on how state can actually implement the recommendations in this resolution. One expert-level meetings already occurred, in 2011 in the United States, and the next one will be held in Dec. 2012 in the United Kingdom. [The Huffington Post] Read more
