Religious Freedom Under Fire at the United Nations

December 21, 2011

The Religion News Service reports that on Dec. 19, the United Nations adopted a resolution against religious intolerance. However, religious rights groups say the resolution, backed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), is really designed to prevent and criminalize criticism of Islam as well as granting cover to Islamic-based blasphemy laws such as those in Pakistan. Frank Gaffney, president of the American Center for Security Policy, says the OIC is a "multi-national Muslim mafia. ... It is 57 states and Palestine that have come together to promote what is fundamentally the agenda that is known as sharia [Islamic law]." Author Nina Shea added, "[The OIC is] asking the West to enforce criminal punishment for blasphemy against Islam within Western borders against their own citizens." The American Center for Law and Justice is calling for nations with histories of religious persecution to think twice before implementing the new resolution.