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Naser Khader: Religion and Freedom of Expression in the Human Rights Council

Liberal Alliance September 17 2008
By Naser Khader

Thank you for the opportunity to come here today – thank you to Mr. Roy Brown for initiating this conference.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me start by saying:

World War 3 is here.

It is not the war on terror I am referring to, all though that war has the qualifications to be called a World War with terror acts crossing boarders around the world.

That war is only a fragment on the real World War.

As terrorism the war I am talking about has no physical frontiers.
It is a global war on values and it as been going on for quite some time.

It is a war between Islamism, the ideology and democratic values.
The war has been going on mainly because it is still surprising to the democratic leaders and politicians around the world that it is a war.

Many world leaders still seem to think it’s a debate forum where dialogue is the only tool. But let me underline very strongly that its not.

Dialogue is in many situations an admirable solution.

But let me say, that dialogue has its limits, and in this case we need to understand that dialogue is not used by the Islamists and we will probably get nowhere with it.

What the Islamist do is to lobby their view not just throughout the Islamic world, but now we also se them pushing in the doors in forums that should only allow admission for those with a democratic passport so to speak.

What we se with Durban II is a perfect example.

The Islamists has hijacked the agenda. It could have been about the horrors of Darfur, or the violation of women’s rights throughout the Islamic world or other question that would naturally lie within the frame of the agenda.

Now it has now become a question of protecting religious feelings.
Or to put it more blunt: To protect Gods right before we protect human rights.

It’s a development within the UN that is very concerning. The UN has increasingly become ruled by the way of thinking in totalitarian states.

Just think about it: Durban II is being prepared by the ambassador of Libya of all places. Let me add that Libya at the moment has imprisoned a Danish citizen for writing a critical article on Muammer Kaddafi.

Speaking of Denmark, we earlier this year applied to be a member of the UN Human Rights Council but was rejected. Denmark has an outstanding track record for the projecting of human rights and for having a well renowned democratic system.

Experts seem to think that the rejection was a punishment of sorts for the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. In England they just passed a law where you can get up to 7 year in prison if you violate a religion.

And back to Durban II: it has already been stated that Islam critic NGO’es are not allow in to the conference.

Honestly, we should be very worried. God seems to get quite a lot of attention these days, even within the UN. I am not sure that God himself would feel comfortable taken the scene like that.

But it worries me.

Islamist on the march is being met with tolerance and invitations into forums and agendas where they have nothing – and I mean nothing – to contribute with.

They will say that their agenda is only pointed at the Islamic world. But that is a lie.

Islamist sole goal is to conquer the whole world, not just a bit of it.

Everything.

They are prepared to the teeth to let this fight go on and on, to take bit by bit. And we are making it very easy for them.

We act like we got caught in the headlights – just because an organization like the OIC says that they – and they alone – speak for all the Muslims.

‘Okay we think’ - that is a lot of Muslims. ‘We can not ignore a voice like that. Let them speak, we say – because we – well democrats and think that everybody should have their say.’

Only in this case we are naive democrats (Naivocrats as I like to call them). We believe them. We do think that OIC speaks for every Muslim.

But they don’t.

They don’t speak for me.

They don’t speak for many here at the conference.

They don’t for a bunch of my other friends – democratic modern Muslims to whom religion is a private matter, not a public boxing ring with Islam in one corner and Democracy in the other.

OIC in my opinion only speaks for their sugar Daddies in Saudi Arabia. And we let them.

Well, let them speak, yes - but don’t let them take the Agenda. Don’t let them convince us that religious values are above democratic values. They are not.

But suddenly it seems that even within the UN that is the new guiding line: That we let religious feeling be protected before we protect democratic values. If their religious feelings are insulted - let me tell you something:

With what happens at the moment with Durban II, my democratic feelings are extremely insulted.

What I never thought would happen is beginning to happen: I am loosing confidence in the UN. I fail to understand how this proud organization which primary and noble goal is to unify nations.

To fight for democracy at any time and to be the guardian of those critics within the totalitarian states that pay in many cases with their lives for their fight for the ultimate democratic value: freedom of speech.

That is what the UN is about.

Or so I thought.

Now with Durban II it seems clear to me, that the UN has become the new arena for Islamism led by some totalitarian nations. I don’t think we realize how we with Durban II give the Islamist legitimacy.

And they get that while most of the democratic Nations turn the other cheek – some even bow in the dessert sand and handover the agenda – and at the same time the victory – to the very same states.

I salute Canada for taking a stand on the issue and staying away from Durban II in protest.

Perhaps the time has come that we might consider forming a Democratic UN. UND – United Democratic Nations – where a nation only can be taken in if they submit to certain democratic criteria.

It would sharpen the appetite so to speak. We have seen it in the EU where states have been almost competing to be members.

It’s a thought.

But our thoughts on how to handle this should call for reactions now. Because while we are hanging around thinking, the Islamist is acting. And they all have proved a major point by hijacking Durban II:

They are everywhere.

They are well organized.

And they are succeeding.

- - - > SIGN Appeal “ Boycott Durban II ” < - - -

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