UN blames Denmark

A report leaked early from the UN Human Rights Committee reveals the the UN “special reporter” on the cartoon controversy, Doudou Diéne, blames Denmark for the unrest:

Judicially, the Danish government ought therefore, especially considering its international obligations, to have, respecting Freedom of Speech, taken a position not only on the consequences of the caricatures for its community of 200.000 Moslems but also for the protection of peace and order.

The report is not yet available in English, but further extracts are available here.

Ophelia at Butterflies and Wheels talks about it:

The idea that freedom of religion requires silencing people who would mock or dissent from a particular religion – thus making freedom of religion itself a joke, and a very unfunny one at that, and making freedom of expression an empty phrase. The freedom of religion does not require the ‘freedom’ never to hear anything one might find irritating or disconcerting. That is not the meaning of freedom. That has never been the meaning of freedom. Translating it to that is a shortcut to theocratic tyranny.

Try telling that to the MAC (officially the Muslim Action Committee, but in effect – due to their absolute terror of satire – Muslims Against Comedy).


5 Responses to “UN blames Denmark”

  1. Andrew Nixon says:

    Might I suggest a Google Bomb to direct “Muslims against Comedy” to the MAC website?

  2. Andy Gilmour says:

    I’ve always been a supporter of the role of the UN in reigning-in the excesses of some of the world’s madder superpowers, so this is truly saddening.

    Since UNESCO is the only bit of the UN officially having anything to do with freedom of expression, then a concerted campaign may force them to chip in….?

    Or maybe we could argue that this report infringes our “human rights” as non-theists, since free speech is one of our key tenets, and any attempt by theists to curtail it may end in anything but “peace and order” (since we won’t stop drawing pictures of whatever we like. So there. And when our lot draw pictures, the other side, er, calls for death and destroys property.)

    Ho hum.

  3. Rod Langlands says:

    Andrew, excuse my ignorance, but what is a Google bomb?
    Also, from my observations, you can tell when a culture has reached a particular level of sophistication and self-reflection when they start producing their own stand up comics.

  4. Andy A says:

    Rod asks what a Google bomb is in Comment 3: This explains it in some detail: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_bomb

  5. […] According to MediaWatchWatch, a eport leaked early from the UN Human Rights Committee reveals the the UN “special reporter” on the cartoon controversy, Doudou Diéne, blames Denmark for the unrest: Judicially, the Danish government ought therefore, especially considering its international obligations, to have, respecting Freedom of Speech, taken a position not only on the consequences of the caricatures for its community of 200.000 Moslems but also for the protection of peace and order. […]