Comments on: Talking Doudou at the UN http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2007/09/18/talking-doudou-at-the-un/ Watching. Pointing. Laughing. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 13:09:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Roy Brown http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2007/09/18/talking-doudou-at-the-un/comment-page-1/#comment-117219 Roy Brown Wed, 19 Sep 2007 14:12:21 +0000 http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/?p=795#comment-117219 In reply to Andy A, a "UN expert" also known as a "Special Rapporteur" (best translated as "Special Investigator") is someone with high academic credentials appointed by the Human Rights Council to investigate a specific area of human rights concern. He (or she - one of the best is Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief) is supposedly independent of his government, impartial in his judgement and free of all external influence. Sadly Doudou Diene has tended in his reports to display a bias in favour of Islam and fails to distinguish between "Islamophobia" and rational concerns regarding the rise of Islamic extremism. He also fails to distinguish between opposition to Islamic ideas and hatred of Muslims. For my detailed response to Doudou Diene at the Human Rights Council (which I have now been told I can deliver on Friday 21 September) see: www.iheu.org/node/2806 Roy Brown In reply to Andy A, a “UN expert” also known as a “Special Rapporteur” (best translated as “Special Investigator”) is someone with high academic credentials appointed by the Human Rights Council to investigate a specific area of human rights concern. He (or she – one of the best is Asma Jahangir, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief) is supposedly independent of his government, impartial in his judgement and free of all external influence.

Sadly Doudou Diene has tended in his reports to display a bias in favour of Islam and fails to distinguish between “Islamophobia” and rational concerns regarding the rise of Islamic extremism. He also fails to distinguish between opposition to Islamic ideas and hatred of Muslims.

For my detailed response to Doudou Diene at the Human Rights Council (which I have now been told I can deliver on Friday 21 September) see: http://www.iheu.org/node/2806

Roy Brown

]]> By: Andy A http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/2007/09/18/talking-doudou-at-the-un/comment-page-1/#comment-117103 Andy A Tue, 18 Sep 2007 12:18:21 +0000 http://www.mediawatchwatch.org.uk/?p=795#comment-117103 Hmm, how do you "defame" religion? And what is a UN expert? "Defamation" is usually understood as a legal concept, with tests as to diminished standing in the community and that sort of thing, with usually an attendant damage to one's reputation and ability to earn a living as effectively. I read this report in an AP story earlier this morning, and the journos just don't define what an expert is? Expert in what? How are you an expert in racism? Does he teach aspects of it? Has he studied it through the ages and written doctoral theses on it?. Sloppy journalism. Much as I applaud IHEU's counterbalancing, I fear the word <i>counterbalance</i> here is optimistic. The religionists are the ones who'll get the ear of the politicians, while the likes of IHEU will be rubbished. Militant atheists, blah-di-blah, don't you know? Hmm, how do you “defame” religion? And what is a UN expert? “Defamation” is usually understood as a legal concept, with tests as to diminished standing in the community and that sort of thing, with usually an attendant damage to one’s reputation and ability to earn a living as effectively. I read this report in an AP story earlier this morning, and the journos just don’t define what an expert is? Expert in what? How are you an expert in racism? Does he teach aspects of it? Has he studied it through the ages and written doctoral theses on it?. Sloppy journalism. Much as I applaud IHEU’s counterbalancing, I fear the word counterbalance here is optimistic. The religionists are the ones who’ll get the ear of the politicians, while the likes of IHEU will be rubbished. Militant atheists, blah-di-blah, don’t you know?

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