SENATE RESOLUTION: Resolution supporting global religious freedom (Passed)

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A RESOLUTION
Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws

Be it affirmed by the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia assembled

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the Resolution supporting global religious freedom.

Resolution

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws.

    Whereas Article 18 of the International Declaration of Human Rights states that “[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”;

    Whereas many countries continue to have criminal blasphemy laws and punish people who engage in expression deemed by the government to be blasphemous, heretical, apostate, defamatory of religion, or insulting to religion or to religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such punishment can include fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment including by beheading;

    Whereas blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Baha’i, secularists, and many other groups, are inconsistent with international human rights standards because they establish and promote official religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and expression that are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

    Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Committee stated in General Comment 34 that “[p]rohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the [ICCPR].”;

    Whereas the Atlasian Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has found that blasphemy charges are often based on false accusations, are used for sectarian or political purposes, and foster religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence;

    Whereas USCIRF has found that at least 70 countries had blasphemy laws as of 2018;

    Whereas these laws were present in 18 Middle East and North African countries, 8 countries in the Americas, 18 Asia-Pacific countries, 14 European countries, and 12 Sub-Saharan African countries;

    Whereas the Pew Research Center found that countries with laws against blasphemy, apostasy, or defamation of religion were more likely to have severe governmental restrictions on religion, and to experience social hostilities based on religion, than countries that did not have such laws;

    Whereas restrictive laws beyond those penalizing blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy further limit religious freedom, such as extremism laws—

    (1) in Russia that have been used to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as an extremist organization and fueled persecution of this religious group;

    (2) in China, to arbitrarily detain an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 Uighur Muslims in internment camps because they followed Islamic rituals and practices; and

    Whereas an international group of experts convened by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recommended in 2012 that “states that have blasphemy laws should repeal the[m] as such laws have a stifling impact on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief and healthy dialogue and debate about religion.”;

    Whereas blasphemy laws are inconsistent with United Nations resolutions adopted by consensus since 2011 recognizing that religious intolerance is best fought through positive measures, such as education, outreach, and counter-speech, and that criminalization of speech is warranted only for the prevention of imminent violence;

    Whereas according to the annual religious freedom report published by the Department of State in 2015, attackers in Bangladesh killed five allegedly anti-Islamic or secularist writers and publishers, and injured three others;

    Whereas in response to these killings, the Home Minister of Bangladesh, rather than condemning the murders, called on bloggers and others to refrain from writings that could hurt the religious feelings of others and added that violators of the warning would be subject to prosecution under the restrictive religious freedom laws of Bangladesh;

    Whereas a 2016 report by USCIRF on Bangladesh found that religious and civil society groups fear that increasing religious extremism will result in more criminal attacks and threats;

    Whereas restrictive religious freedom laws validate and promote social violence targeted at religious minorities and dissenters, whether Christian, Muslim, secularist, or other;

    Whereas USCIRF has found that in Pakistan, blasphemy laws have been used to prosecute and persecute Muslims, Christians, secularists, and others;

    Whereas according to a Pew Center report on religion and public life, Pakistan stands out for having one of the highest levels of restrictions on religion when both government restrictions and social hostilities are taken into account;

    Whereas USCIRF has found egregious examples of the enforcement of blasphemy laws and vigilante violence connected to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, where blasphemy charges are common and numerous individuals are in prison, with a high percentage sentenced to death or to life in prison;

    Whereas, as of May 2018, USCIRF was aware of approximately 40 individuals on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan or serving life sentences;

    Whereas Asia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010 and was held for 8 years, until the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned her conviction in 2018, upheld her acquittal, and granted her permission to leave the country to flee the threats against her in 2019;

    Whereas Pakistan selectively enforces the blasphemy and anti-terrorism laws against minority religious groups, including by specifically targeting Ahmadiyya Muslims such as Abdul Shakoor, an 80-year old optician and bookseller who was recently released after serving over three years in prison on such charges;

    Whereas blasphemy laws in Pakistan have fostered a climate of impunity, as those who falsify evidence go unpunished and allegations often result in violent mob attacks or assassinations, with little to no police response;

    Whereas in 2017, the Christian Governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, was convicted for blasphemy of Islam and sentenced to two years in jail;

    Whereas several countries that maintained blasphemy laws have recently taken steps towards removing these provisions, including Greece, Ireland, and Canada;

    Whereas blasphemy laws in the Republic of Atlasia were invalidated by the adoption of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the freedoms of thought, conscience, expression, and religious exercise; and

    Whereas the Republic of Atlasia has become a beacon of religious freedom and tolerance around the world: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate and House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws inappropriately position governments as arbiters of religious truth and empower officials to impose religious dogma on individuals or minorities through the power of the government or through violence sanctioned by the government;

(2) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in the bilateral relationships of the Republic of Atlasia with all countries that have such laws, through direct interventions in bilateral and multilateral fora;

(3) encourages the President and the Secretary of State to oppose—

(A) any efforts, by the United Nations or by other international or multilateral fora, to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, such as the “defamation of religions” resolutions introduced in the United Nations between 1999 and 2010; and

(B) any attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions;

(4) supports efforts by the United Nations to combat intolerance, discrimination, or violence against persons based on religion or belief without restricting expression, including United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 (2011) and the Istanbul Process meetings pursuant to such resolution, that are consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution;

(5) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to designate countries that enforce blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws as “countries of particular concern for religious freedom” under section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom, as a result of the abuses flowing from the enforcement of such laws and from unpunished vigilante violence often generated by blasphemy allegations;

(6) urges the governments of countries that enforce blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws to amend or repeal such laws, as they provide pretext and impunity for vigilante violence against religious minorities; and

(7) urges the governments of countries that have prosecuted, imprisoned, and persecuted people on charges of blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy to release such people unconditionally and, once released, to ensure their safety and that of their families.

Sponsor: Scott
Senate Designation: SR27:08

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

The sponsor has 24 hours to commence an advocacy and the other members have 48 hours beyond that to respond with initial comments, questions and concerns.

[Former President tack50]

So, an anti blasphemy laws bill? Good idea!

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

So if it wasn't obvious, I didn't author this bill. This resolution was passed by the US House with an overwhelming majority.

Simply put, this resolution puts our government on the side of human rights and freedom of religious expression. More than 80 countries use blasphemy laws to imprison, torture, and kill religious minorities. By passing this, we are calling for an end to these egregious human rights violations worldwide, and making religious freedom a priority in international negotiations.

Because this resolution directly affects our foreign policy goals and the State Department, I invite the Secretary of State to comment on this legislation if he so chooses.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I support this, unless it would allow mapmakers to use red for Republicans and blue for Democrats.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So basically this is a long way of saying you cannot be "delivered upon the magistrate in the shyre in which ye dwell".

To begin with, I will say that resolutions like these have a bad reputation for lack of effectiveness but frankly, especially in lean bill times like these, they are hardly problematic and can serve an important purpose. In RL resolutions on matters like these of important concern down to trivial ones are subject to said resolutions and bodies down to city councils have a history of passing resolution expressing their concerns about such matters. In a way it goes back to a time when local bodies had limited petition power and these were the primaries means of soliciting changes favorable to the interests in those areas. While we have representative bodies now for legislating, these can still serve a purpose at those lower levels and at higher levels like this can serve to influence the actions of organizations like the UN.  To make a long point somewhat briefer, I am perfectly fine with these resolutions, especially in the wake of the communication with the sponsor, I must stress that the stigma against these as being "useless" has carried too far and helped to reduce activity at certain points.

Now, not being precisely familiar with the internation Religious Freedom Act of 1998, what are the penalties or effects of a country being designated as “countries of particular concern for religious freedom”? 

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Yeah, admittedly this resolution is kind of a 'filler bill' - something fairly noncontroversial that has some tangible effect on the nation's reputation and stated foreign policy goals. The UN is indeed the most effective tool at our disposal for promoting human rights worldwide. Sadly, and I've argued this point here before, it is losing its credibility as an institution and has limited success in achieving its own objectives.

Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998, the president has fifteen options to exercise against countries in violation:

- a private or a public demarche;
- a private or public condemnation;
- the delay or cancellation of scientific or cultural exchanges;
- the denial, delay, or cancellation of working, official or state visits;
- the withdrawing, limitation, or suspension of some forms of aid;
- direction to public and private international institutions to deny assistance;
- sanctions prohibiting the Atlasian government from entering into import or export agreements with the designated governments

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So any further amendments, debate, final votes?

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So any further amendments, debate, final votes?

[Former President tack50]

Motion for a final vote; calling 24 hours to object

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A final vote is now open on this legislation, Senators please vote Aye, Nay or Abstain.

[Former President tack50]

aye

[At-Large Senator LouisvilleThunder]

Aye

[Blair]

Aye

[Bleach Blonde Bad Built Butch Bodies for Biden]

Aye

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

AYE ftr

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Vote on Final Passage of the Resolution Support Global Religious Freedom:

Aye (5): Blair, LT, NC Yankee, Scott, and Tack50
Nay (0):
Abstain (0):

Didn't Vote (1): Devout Centrist

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

A RESOLUTION
Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws

Be it affirmed by the Congress of the Republic of Atlasia assembled

Section 1. Title

This legislation may be cited as the Resolution supporting global religious freedom.

Resolution

Calling for the global repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws.

    Whereas Article 18 of the International Declaration of Human Rights states that “[e]veryone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance”;

    Whereas many countries continue to have criminal blasphemy laws and punish people who engage in expression deemed by the government to be blasphemous, heretical, apostate, defamatory of religion, or insulting to religion or to religious symbols, figures, or feelings, and such punishment can include fines, imprisonment, and capital punishment including by beheading;

    Whereas blasphemy laws have affected Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Baha’i, secularists, and many other groups, are inconsistent with international human rights standards because they establish and promote official religious orthodoxy and dogma over individual liberty, and often result in violations of the freedoms of religion, thought, and expression that are protected under international instruments, including Articles 18 and 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR);

    Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Committee stated in General Comment 34 that “[p]rohibitions of displays of lack of respect for a religion or other belief system, including blasphemy laws, are incompatible with the [ICCPR].”;

    Whereas the Atlasian Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has found that blasphemy charges are often based on false accusations, are used for sectarian or political purposes, and foster religious intolerance, discrimination, and violence;

    Whereas USCIRF has found that at least 70 countries had blasphemy laws as of 2018;

    Whereas these laws were present in 18 Middle East and North African countries, 8 countries in the Americas, 18 Asia-Pacific countries, 14 European countries, and 12 Sub-Saharan African countries;

    Whereas the Pew Research Center found that countries with laws against blasphemy, apostasy, or defamation of religion were more likely to have severe governmental restrictions on religion, and to experience social hostilities based on religion, than countries that did not have such laws;

    Whereas restrictive laws beyond those penalizing blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy further limit religious freedom, such as extremism laws—

    (1) in Russia that have been used to ban Jehovah’s Witnesses as an extremist organization and fueled persecution of this religious group;

    (2) in China, to arbitrarily detain an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 Uighur Muslims in internment camps because they followed Islamic rituals and practices; and

    Whereas an international group of experts convened by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights recommended in 2012 that “states that have blasphemy laws should repeal the[m] as such laws have a stifling impact on the enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief and healthy dialogue and debate about religion.”;

    Whereas blasphemy laws are inconsistent with United Nations resolutions adopted by consensus since 2011 recognizing that religious intolerance is best fought through positive measures, such as education, outreach, and counter-speech, and that criminalization of speech is warranted only for the prevention of imminent violence;

    Whereas according to the annual religious freedom report published by the Department of State in 2015, attackers in Bangladesh killed five allegedly anti-Islamic or secularist writers and publishers, and injured three others;

    Whereas in response to these killings, the Home Minister of Bangladesh, rather than condemning the murders, called on bloggers and others to refrain from writings that could hurt the religious feelings of others and added that violators of the warning would be subject to prosecution under the restrictive religious freedom laws of Bangladesh;

    Whereas a 2016 report by USCIRF on Bangladesh found that religious and civil society groups fear that increasing religious extremism will result in more criminal attacks and threats;

    Whereas restrictive religious freedom laws validate and promote social violence targeted at religious minorities and dissenters, whether Christian, Muslim, secularist, or other;

    Whereas USCIRF has found that in Pakistan, blasphemy laws have been used to prosecute and persecute Muslims, Christians, secularists, and others;

    Whereas according to a Pew Center report on religion and public life, Pakistan stands out for having one of the highest levels of restrictions on religion when both government restrictions and social hostilities are taken into account;

    Whereas USCIRF has found egregious examples of the enforcement of blasphemy laws and vigilante violence connected to blasphemy allegations in Pakistan, where blasphemy charges are common and numerous individuals are in prison, with a high percentage sentenced to death or to life in prison;

    Whereas, as of May 2018, USCIRF was aware of approximately 40 individuals on death row for blasphemy in Pakistan or serving life sentences;

    Whereas Asia Bibi was sentenced to death for blasphemy in 2010 and was held for 8 years, until the Supreme Court of Pakistan overturned her conviction in 2018, upheld her acquittal, and granted her permission to leave the country to flee the threats against her in 2019;

    Whereas Pakistan selectively enforces the blasphemy and anti-terrorism laws against minority religious groups, including by specifically targeting Ahmadiyya Muslims such as Abdul Shakoor, an 80-year old optician and bookseller who was recently released after serving over three years in prison on such charges;

    Whereas blasphemy laws in Pakistan have fostered a climate of impunity, as those who falsify evidence go unpunished and allegations often result in violent mob attacks or assassinations, with little to no police response;

    Whereas in 2017, the Christian Governor of Jakarta, Indonesia, was convicted for blasphemy of Islam and sentenced to two years in jail;

    Whereas several countries that maintained blasphemy laws have recently taken steps towards removing these provisions, including Greece, Ireland, and Canada;

    Whereas blasphemy laws in the Republic of Atlasia were invalidated by the adoption of the First Amendment to the Constitution, which protects the freedoms of thought, conscience, expression, and religious exercise; and

    Whereas the Republic of Atlasia has become a beacon of religious freedom and tolerance around the world: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate and House of Representatives—

(1) recognizes that blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws inappropriately position governments as arbiters of religious truth and empower officials to impose religious dogma on individuals or minorities through the power of the government or through violence sanctioned by the government;

(2) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to make the repeal of blasphemy, heresy, and apostasy laws a priority in the bilateral relationships of the Republic of Atlasia with all countries that have such laws, through direct interventions in bilateral and multilateral fora;

(3) encourages the President and the Secretary of State to oppose—

(A) any efforts, by the United Nations or by other international or multilateral fora, to create an international anti-blasphemy norm, such as the “defamation of religions” resolutions introduced in the United Nations between 1999 and 2010; and

(B) any attempts to expand the international norm on incitement to include blasphemy or defamation of religions;

(4) supports efforts by the United Nations to combat intolerance, discrimination, or violence against persons based on religion or belief without restricting expression, including United Nations Human Rights Council Resolution 16/18 (2011) and the Istanbul Process meetings pursuant to such resolution, that are consistent with the First Amendment to the Constitution;

(5) calls on the President and the Secretary of State to designate countries that enforce blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws as “countries of particular concern for religious freedom” under section 402(b)(1)(A)(ii) of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6442(b)(1)(A)(ii)) for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom, as a result of the abuses flowing from the enforcement of such laws and from unpunished vigilante violence often generated by blasphemy allegations;

(6) urges the governments of countries that enforce blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy laws to amend or repeal such laws, as they provide pretext and impunity for vigilante violence against religious minorities; and

(7) urges the governments of countries that have prosecuted, imprisoned, and persecuted people on charges of blasphemy, heresy, or apostasy to release such people unconditionally and, once released, to ensure their safety and that of their families.

People's Regional Senate
Passed 5-0 in the Atlasian Senate Assembled,