Words of Warning to the West

By Joel Richardson, WorldNetDaily, May 19, 2008

The United States is about to be tried. At stake are the very freedoms that we all hold so dear. On March 27, the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to adopt resolution 7/19 on "Combating defamation of religions." In one of the most Orwellian resolutions ever passed, this so-called "Human Rights Council" condemns "Islamophobia," which includes any, "attempts to identify Islam with terrorism, violence and human rights violations."

Think about this for a moment. Suppose that I tell you that according to sacred Islamic tradition, Muhammad himself stated that those who leave Islam should be punished by execution. And suppose that I also point out that all four of the Orthodox Sunni schools of Islamic jurisprudence as well as the Shiites interpret Muhammad's statements to mean that death is the appropriate punishment for leaving Islam. According to this resolution, I should be arrested and tried for a "criminal" act. Free speech anyone?

In other words, according to the U.N. Human Rights Council, criticism of Islam should be globally forbidden under penalty of law. Should we be surprised to discover that the resolution was introduced by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, an umbrella organization of 57 Islamic nations? The 58-page document calls for "the international community to come up with a binding legal instrument to fight the menace of Islamophobia" so that "the right to freedom of expression" not be used as a license for "insulting the sacred religious symbols of Islam." The "freedom of expression ... may be subject to certain restrictions ... necessary for the respect of the rights or reputations of others." In other words, expressing a negative opinion about Islam in public, and maybe even in private, could land you in jail.

The resolution is part of the OIC's "10-year plan of action" "to have the United Nations adopt an international resolution to counter Islamophobia and call upon all states to enact laws to counter it, including deterrent punishments." Am I the only one deeply alarmed by this?

How often have you heard someone say, "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend your right to say it"? Freedom of speech is one of our most essential rights. Contained within is the freedom to criticize openly and without penalty, the freedom to debate and the freedom to think for oneself. As we in the West know, these freedoms are the foundations of any truly progressive society. When the freedom to speak, to criticize and to debate are squelched, the wheels of intellectual progress cease. As the Bible says, "iron sharpens iron." The grinding sound of citizens freely and openly criticizing and debating every imaginable thing is actually the sweet sound of intellectual progress.

Today the Western and Islamic worlds are clearly experiencing the "clash" of civilizations that has long been predicted, and the Islamic world is winning. Not militarily, but in the classrooms and courtrooms, through media manipulation and the revision of public policies and procedures - what's been called "soft jihad." Of course, it seems like every time the West has a concrete opportunity to stand up for freedom, too many of us choose to sit down instead.

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