1. Defamation of Religion

Many regions of the world today are experiencing religious intolerance and discrimination.  Negative stereotyping of religion, particularly Islam, has provoked physical attacks and assaults on businesses, cultural centers and places of worship.  Since the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, there has been an increase in religious defamation campaigns due to ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities.  Print and electronic media, especially the internet, have also played key roles in inciting the defamation of religion.

2. Human Rights in Turkmenistan

Human Rights violations in Turkmenistan include the repression of political opposition, arbitrary detentions, imprisonment and surveillance.  The prison conditions are very poor and there are credible reports of torture and mistreatment of detainees.  The government of Turkmenistan has complete control of the media and continued restrictions on the exercise of freedom of thought, conscience, religion and belief.  The UN is appalled at the government of Turkmenistan’s refusal to cooperate. 

Links: 

	http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/gashc3842.doc.htm
	http://www.un.org/ga/60/third/index.html

 

Religious Defamation

 

           

Throughout human history, there have been animosities between different religions, and the issue of tolerance has never gotten old. However, after the United States was attacked on 11 September 2001, the international body has seen an increase in the clash between religions, specifically Islam. Stereotyping, promotion of such profiling, and extremist religious groups that are sometimes fueled by governments have become a hot topic among governments, and new attention has been paid to making sure that violence towards the people and the places of worship cease.

             In 2004, the UN Commission on Human Rights drafted a resolution called the Resolution on Combating Defamation of Religion. In the resolution, it “expressed deep concern that Islam was frequently and wrongly associated with human rights violations and terrorism” and  “noted with deep concern the intensification of the campaign of defamation of religions, and the ethnic and religious profiling of Muslim minorities” especially after 9/11. The resolution called for “the international community to initiate a global dialogue to promote a culture of tolerance based on respect for human rights and respect for diversity.” Notably, many Middle Eastern and developing nations were in favor of the resolution, whereas more developed and Western nations voted against it.

            It seemed as though religious and racial profiling was the extent of the discrimination, but that seemed to only be the beginning.  In February of 2006, a series of cartoons that were extremely offensive to Muslims were printed in a Danish newspaper. One cartoon showed the Prophet Muhammad at the door to heaven telling arriving suicide bombers, “Stop! Stop! We ran out of virgins!” To depict the Prophet Muhammad is forbidden in Islam. Another was drawing showed the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban resembling a bomb. In addition to Denmark, the cartoon was printed in papers in New Zealand, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and Hungary, citing that the decision was based on press freedom.

            Not all religious discrimination is geared toward Muslims. Attacks on Jews by Muslims in Israel, tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India and Pakistan, and other situations have made religious defamation a truly global topic.

 

Committee Mission:

            Following the UNHCR’s resolution, how can nations around the world produce a “culture of tolerance”?  This committee will seek specific strategies to achieving this aim.

 

Questions to consider:

1. Where should the line be drawn between free speech and religious defamation?

2. What can a body such as the UN do to ensure that nations are treating each religion fairly?

3. Are there laws in your nations that protect against religious discrimination?

4. Does your nation practice religious or racial discrimination for a “legitimate” purpose?

 

Sources:

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/HRCN1032.doc.htm

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/hrcn1082.doc.htm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4670370.stm

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11097877/

 

The Human Rights Situation in Turkmenistan

 

           

            Imagine a place where you can’t write for the press unless it is approved by the “President”; where if you speak out against the government you are thrown in jail or worse than that, killed; where mosques are demolished just because; where opera and ballet are banned because they are “unnecessary”.  This situation sounds similar to George Orwell’s 1984 or even scarier, like the USSR.  Although the Soviet Union fell to pieces in 1991, some old member nations still teach its principles.  In Turkmenistan, it is almost as if the USSR never ended and they are still Communist.  There is no freedom of religion, freedom of expression (speech), political freedom, fair/just elections, and police justice.

 

            President Niazov wrote a book on religion beliefs called Ruhmana and forces all places of worship to carry it.  There must be a “President’s corner” in all worship places that has his “holy” book and images of Niazov.  The government of Turkmenistan represses all other religions besides that of Niazov.  He permits Sunni Muslim and sometimes Russian Orthodox teachings but nothing else.  Criminal punishment, beating, imprisonment, deportation or demolitions of houses of worship are the sentences for those who decide to follow a different religion.

 

            The media is another usual freedom that is taken away from Turkmen.  Each broadcast begins with a pledge that the broadcaster’s tongue will shrivel if he slanders the country, flag or President.  Niazov’s picture is always on the bottom of the screen, kind of like we see the “Fox” logo here.  The President appoints the journalists to prevent negative comments about the government.

 

            There is one party in Turkmenistan and that is the one that is ruling.  President Niazov was the leader during the Soviet years so he was “elected” to be President after the USSR fell.  Since Turkmenistan has an authoritarian government, there have been no free or fair elections.

 

            The police force is working the way the government does also.  They torture people to obtain confessions, beat those imprisoned and sometimes brutally kill people.  Those who spoke out against the President in the early 1990’s were exiled or imprisoned.  Once people get out of jail, they don’t speak out anymore.  On November 25, 2002 there was an assassination attempt on President Niazov and because of it 58 (confirmed) people were arrested.

 

            Niazov has banned opera, ballet, the circus, the philharmonic orchestra, car radios, beards, and smoking in public.

           

Committee Mission:

 

The UN Commission on Human Rights wrote a resolution in November of 2003 addressed to the government and their many human rights abuses.  In this committee it is your job to see if they have made any progress since then.  If they have made progress, how can we get them to make even more?  If they haven’t made progress, is there a country in a similar situation that has created a program that worked for them (that Turkmenistan could try)?  You must think of something to combat this authoritarian government before the whole country is jailed for speaking their minds.

 

 

Sources:

 

http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/(Symbol)/E.CN.4.RES.2003.11.En?Opendocument

 

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/09/28/turkme11796.htm

 

http://hrw.org/english/docs/2005/03/10/turkme10300.htm

 

http://www.eurasianet.org/resource/turkmenistan/index.shtml

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3486776.stm

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1298497.stm

 

http://www.cpj.org/censored/index.html