Proposals to ban criticism of religion, which have gathered strength since the publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in Denmark two years ago, are threatening to derail the United Nations anti-racism conference in Geneva planned for next year ('Durban II'). The European Union has rejected suggestions by Algeria, backed by other Muslim and African countries, that limits on free speech are needed to stop the publication of offensive articles and images. Supporters of the proposal, who have been pushing for such a ban to be included in international anti-discrimination charters, want it discussed in April at a high-level United Nations anti-racism meeting in Geneva. However, European diplomats say that would out of the question, the news agency AP reports. It quotes unnamed Western diplomats who had said the Islamic demands could wreck the meeting.
The UN expert on freedom of expression, Frank LaRue, has criticized so-called "anti-blasphemy laws" used to protect religion in some countries. "Such laws are often used to prevent legitimate criticism of powerful religious leaders and to suppress the views of religious minorities, dissenting believers and nonbelievers, and are applied in a discriminatory fashion," LaRue said in a press release. Israel and Canada have already said they would stay away from the conference because of concerns that the meeting could become a repeat of the first anti-racism conference in Durban, South Africa, in 2001, which was marred by anti-Semitic and anti-Israel outbursts. The United States has also indicated it might stay away from the meeting. Dutch foreign minister Maxime Verhagen this week said that his country would boycott the forum if anti-Israel statements are not scrapped from draft texts being drawn up for the meeting.
