Paper: Saudi Arabia Using UN Interfaith Dialogue To Push Global Blasphemy Law

Christian Science Monitor:

World leaders gathering at the United Nations this week for a special session of the General Assembly to advance interfaith dialogue should have no illusions that their efforts will miraculously promote mutual respect between religious communities or end abuses of religious freedom.

Saudi King Abdullah, who initiated this week's special session, is quietly enlisting the leaders' support for a global law to punish blasphemy - a campaign championed by the 56-member Organization of Islamic Conference that puts the rights of religions ahead of individual liberties.

Read the whole story: Christian Science Monitor

Comments

[DMcMillan]

01:28 PM on 11/24/2008

The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum. - Thomas Paine

[arvay]

08:28 AM on 11/14/2008

The parts of the world that enjoy the benefits of free speech need to respond to this with scorn, satire and laughter.

Personally, I think our mideast policy is nuts, but that doesn't mean we need to respect the irrational fanaticism of governments that run Saudi Arabia and Iran. I was disappointed that we in the free-speech world didn't respond to the outrage over the Muhammad cartoons by publishing them repeatedly until all the enraged demonstrators learned that we aren't going to change our society to fit their ideas. Any more than we should try to impose "democracy" on them.

Mutual respect means accepting people whose ideas you reject, and they need to understand that we permit blasphemy. If they don't that's for their own people to judge, and we should respect that also.

One of the many tragic results of our malevolent and misdirected mideast policy is that it's encouraged the success of these kinds of extremist groups.

The Islamists have been the only group apparently capable of creating order in Somalia, but the price has been the imposition of this kind of ignorant barbarism.

Even if the Obama administration radically reverses course, which is unlikely, the effects of a half-century of mistakes and wrong-headed interventions will continue for some time into the future.

We are kidding ourselves if we think there won't be results that eventually damage us seriously.

[nefertiti]

05:41 PM on 11/13/2008

machu thanks for the information . interesting .

[nefertiti]

04:53 PM on 11/13/2008

i was expecting Muslim clerics , Rabbis and priests to attend such interfaith Dialogue not Politicians who pretend to be "Secular " , we know that the Arab leaders (who were never elected bytheir people for such a role ) found an exuse to be at the same table as Israel . IF israel wanted a dialogue it must be ready to liberate the Golan heights , Sheeba farms , the town of Ghajjar , and the westbank .stop threatening lebanon , stop the 700 checkpoints in the westbank , etc..
those Idiots (leaders) Should have headed for Gaza instead of washington to show some compassion and support to the people of the Ghetto of Gaza where food , medicine ,fuel are scarce . one million and a half of people are starving and falling sick because of lack of medicine and basic antibiotic .
Interfaith dialogue ? the saudis should have it with the Persecuted Shias and the Ismaelis within saudi , or the millions of christians who cant practice their faith or lit a christmas tree . Hypocrits the lot of them . saudis is spending millions of dollars in its Media empire to vilify the shias of Lebanon and Iran , and shows so much support for the US puppets the 14th march movement who have a US -israeli agenda .
Saudis in charge of Interfaith dialogue is like Apartheid Africa holding a meeting about justice and rights of South Africans of African origin

[Machu]

04:06 PM on 11/13/2008

4. Blasphemy & Impurity – Another tactic used my Christian is to somehow make the victim impure to their religion in some way. Then the Missionary will convince the victim that they can no longer practice their old faith due to their blasphemy, and therefore they must accept Christianity.

The most infamous incident is known as the “Sepoy Rebellion”. In 1857, British General Lord Canning gave orders for the British to mix crushed cow and pig bones into the salt, butter and sugar rations of his Indian troops. In addition the British greased Enfield rifle cartridges with cow and pig fat. After some time, it was discovered by the troops that the rations they had consumed and the mouth-loaded cartridges had been contaminated with animal fats. This led many devout Hindu and Muslim to believe they were no longer pious members of their respective religions and so many were forced to convert. This outrage led to a massive war-like rebellion by the Hindu and Muslim troops which was eventually quelled by British.

By making one impure to their religion, shows the paramount of hatred and disrespect that Christian Missionaries have for all other religions.

[Machu]

04:06 PM on 11/13/2008

3. Fraudulent Saints – Often Missionaries will disguise themselves as religious leaders of the local religion and subtly attempt to convert the locals.
The classic example was that of Robert de Nobili, a Jesuit from France, who came to India in the early 17th century. He adopted the saffron robe, started to live in a hut, squatted on the floor for conducting his discourses, became a vegetarian and gave up liquor, projected that he was a Brahmin saint from Rome and that the Bible was one of the lost Vedas (Hindu holy scriptures), and generally tried to pass himself as another Hindu sanyasi (saint). He was successful, and many Hindus came to him for spiritual reasons of which many he converted.

Though Nobili used this tactic centuries ago, this deceitful and treacherous method is still in use by Missionaries even today.

[Machu]

03:33 PM on 11/13/2008

1. Fake Medicines – One common tactic employed by Missionaries is to give a sick villager fake medicines which have no medicinal value and ask them to worship in the name of their faith for wellness. After several days, the missionary gives the villager an identical dose of the medicine, but this time it is the real medicine. Then the missionary will instruct the villager to now pray to Jesus. Soon after, due to the medicine and not due to Jesus, the villager will be cured. The uneducated and gullible villager, however, will attribute his cure to Jesus and convert to Christianity.

2. Floating Idols – In rural villages in India, Missionaries and place a stone or metal idol of a Hindu Deity in bring a bucket of water. The statue will sink in the bucket. Next the Missionary bring a wax-coated idol of Jesus or Virgin Mary (though Christianity prohibits idols) and places that in the bucket. Due the wax-coat, the Christian idol will float. The Missionary will then conclude that because the Christian idol floated, it is “higher” and, therefore, better than the Hindu one. The uneducated villager, not knowing anything about buoyancy or density, falls for the Missionary’s ridiculous explanation and converts to Christianity.

[northstar11]

02:53 PM on 11/13/2008

thanks but no thanks .as a secularist i am not interested in being bound by the laws of any religion. not christian, not islamic ,not mormonism or judaism.
if the members of those clubs agree to be bound ,it is their right . my right is to refuse membership and obligation.

[BandsofBlack]

02:51 PM on 11/13/2008

G-O-D-D-A-M-M-I-T!

[ScoobyDoo269]

02:26 PM on 11/13/2008

WOW - look at all those dish cloths!

[ScoobyDoo269]

02:24 PM on 11/13/2008

Religions are the Problem - NOT the Answer!

[ScoobyDoo269]

02:23 PM on 11/13/2008

Scotty BEAM ME UP! NOW!!!!!

[Coyote2]

02:17 PM on 11/13/2008

--------------------------------------------------------------------
FREEDOM FROM RELIGION IS A HUMAN RIGHT
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freedom from religious coercion

~

[SouthJerseySteve]

01:14 PM on 11/13/2008

Exactly why we need to be Energy Independent!!! Forget China, let's pull out all our industries from this country! The won't let their own people have any rights and their women can't .... wait! That sounds like THIS country.....

[Coyote2]

01:03 AM on 11/14/2008

attack

[walk0nwalls]

01:12 PM on 11/13/2008

The Saudis can kiss my ass

[Enid]

01:21 PM on 11/13/2008

no its you and me that will be kissing it.
yours and my children will be wiping it.

[Coyote2]

02:22 PM on 11/13/2008

It is not much better in this country where it is impossible for a non-Christian to be President.

In fact Sarah Palin made it a point to condemn those who are not like her and the Republican Party...EVANGELICALS... but NOT okay for folks who have experienced racism in their daily lives TO CRY OUT TO THEIR GOD, IN THEIR HOUSES OF WORSHIP, FOR REDEMPTION ??? (Jeremiah Wright ads)

Evangelical beliefs and forms of worship are just as disturbing (if not more so as they pine for Armageddon) than Jeremiah Wright. Yet Republicans clearly try to divide America by arguing that their religious faith TRUMPS.

Sarah Palin, like the Republican Party, is a CHRISTIAN CHAUVINIST and as such is hardly acceptable to represent America in any capacity except as h a t e-monger. The same as Saudi Arabia