Villy Søvndal is a member of the Danish Parliament and the chairman of the Socialist People’s Party. He has spoken out in the past against the Islamists in his country, and his latest piece in yesterday’s Jyllands-Posten concerns the upcoming UN conference on racism, commonly known as “Durban II”.
Henrik of Europe News has kindly translated the op-ed for Gates of Vienna:
The UN must not give in to Islamic criticism- - - - - - - - -
By Villy Søvndal
This spring the UN Human Rights Council will be hosting a large conference on racism.
While it is praiseworthy to work against racism and discrimination, there is still ample reason to be on guard against the pressure from some Islamic countries at this particular conference.
For under cover of a noble purpose, representatives from a series of undemocratic regimes are trying to turn criticism of religion into a violation of human rights. The very same countries that stone women and homosexuals in the name of religion and deprive their citizens the right of free speech are now trying to shut the mouths of people anywhere who dare to criticize Islam, Christianity and other religions. They must not succeed at this.
Daily violations
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is leading the struggle to ban the “defamation of religion”. With support from China and Russia, representatives of dubious Islamic regimes are now occupying key positions and have a firm grip on the controversial UN conference.
The chairman of the planning committee, for instance, comes from Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, and at the suggestion of Libya, Iran has become a member of the inner circle drafting the proposed final declaration of the conference.
It is hardly surprising that the Iranian theocracy gladly assumes such a task, considering the long list of transgressions perpetrated by the regime on a daily basis: Closures of critical newspapers, Internet censorship, jailing of journalists. Workers and students who protest face bans, imprisonment and torture. Capital punishment is incurred for homosexuality and infidelity. Some of those condemned are even today executed in public by stoning or hanging. And now the mullahs intend to tell us that criticism of religion constitutes a violation of human rights. If this wasn’t a very serious issue, it would be obviously ridiculous. [literally: “something to die laughing over” — translator]
This is a crafty maneuver — from the point of view of countries like Libya, Pakistan and Iran. These countries have, as do many other Islamic countries, serious problems with human rights. “Absolving” them from criticism of religion, which would include dogma in the Sharia system, would clear the countries of the strongly incriminating issues raised over and over, concerning the stoning of women, the jailing of victims of rape for adultery (as in Afghanistan, Pakistan), etc.
Criticism of religion
In other words, including criticism of religion as a human rights violation will be the beginning of the end of the concept of human rights as we know it. This would put every democratic country under pressure concerning freedom of expression, freedom of the press — and stifle every attempt to pressure a lot of states worldwide towards equal rights for women and respect for the most fundamental of human rights.
If the West gives in on this issue, for fear of “hurting religious sentiment”, hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide, not least women and activists for democracy, will be indefinitely left to the mercy of dictators, fundamentalists and religious reactionaries.
For democratic socialists — actually, for all democratically-minded humans — it must be crystal clear that religion is not above criticism. In a democracy everything is subject to debate and criticism. This is healthy and proper — although some will risk being offended by this.
Henrik adds these notes
Note 1:
Googling “Durban II” gives a wealth of relevant links on the problems:
Note 2:
Revoking Islam’s status as a ‘religion’ (it really isn’t) would solve the problem.
Note 3:
I found an original link on Villy Søvndal’s blog (in Danish):
Hat tip: TB.
7 comments:
Probably the most important link is this:
Boycott Durban II
Please sign & post the link.
Jyllands-Posten follows up the letter by Villy Søvndal with an editorial that is even more clear. It states outright that if the Islamic countries succeed in their attempts, the United Nation will be void of purpose.
Big things at stake here...
Finally, a socialist whose brains have not fallen out completely leaving enough gray matter to notice that the Islamists are pushing the antithesis of the liberal left's agenda and making common cause with them means feminists embracing Dark Ages oppression of women, gays embracing the murderous type of homophobe, socialist Robin Hoods embracing oil oligarchs, intelligentsia embracing illiteracy for non-whites and militant secularists bowing and scraping to Islam etc.
Why does the more common kind of socialist's head not explode from logical incoherency?
Why does the more common kind of socialist's head not explode from logical incoherency?
When reality and ideology disagree, reality is wrong.
Not many people outside the lunatic Left in the US would pay this much attention. May even serve to bolster the forces seeking for our exit from the UN. We Conservatives hate the UN.
'Hate the UN'?
A more moderate (and useful) wording might be "Consider the UN worthless".
Which is why it's proper not to pay to it. There is no sense in paying for something of no value. A credible threat of pulling out makes sense in this situation. Unfortunately, even my own Danish Peoples' Party are in the "We must talk about this" camp with regards to Durban II.
As for socialists' heads not exploding from logical incoherence, good question. Presumably they're too convinced that they're right to even examine matters properly.
Oddly, Plato and the ancient Greeks had a similar notion, that any conflict between ideas and observations (as in, planets move in elliptical orbits, not circular), the observations would have to be wrong, for the ideas were perfect. That became a hindrance to the development of modern science.
Have to agree with Henrik here, the UN really is worthless. It has been hijacked by dictators,is corrupt and is, well, let's be honest, racist.
Resolution after resolution passed against Israel year in year out. The jew-hatred of the UN is limitless.
Pleased to say that the party I support, the BNP, has vowed that if elected, we will immediately withdraw Britain from this sham - as well as kicking the EU into touch at the same time.
Honestly, it can't happen soon enough for me.
In the UN the majority are third world countries that want to destroy the west. South Africa included.
I think I remember you writing about the DUrban conference once. I think it was Denmark that was not allowed to join because they were called racist.
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