OIC CULTURAL DG ARGUES FOR PROHIBITING RELIGIOUS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JEDDAH 000010

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/07/2018
TAGS: PHUM PREL SCUL KISL SA
SUBJECT: OIC CULTURAL DG ARGUES FOR PROHIBITING RELIGIOUS
DEFAMATION

Classified By: Consul General Tatiana Gfoeller for Reasons 1.4 (b) and
(d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The Director General (DG) of the Cultural
and Social Affairs Department of the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) explained OIC positions on religious
intolerance to DRL/MLGA Foreign Affairs Officer. After
describing efforts to combat Islamic extremism at the
cultural level, the DG presented the OIC's case for legal
prohibitions against the "defamation of religion," arguing
that such prohibitions have a place within multilateral
resolutions on human rights. END SUMMARY.

Combating Extremism:
The Silent Majority is Not Being Heard
--------------


2. (C) DRL/MLGA Foreign Affairs Officer and PolEconOff met on
December 8 with Ambassador Hemayet Uddin, Director General of
the OIC's Cultural and Social Affairs Department, and
Boudjelal T. Azzout of the OIC's Legal Affairs Department.
Ambassador Uddin began the discussion by explaining that
"culture is what we are," but during colonialism, much of the
great culture of Islam was lost and poverty took over. In
recent years, he said, there has been an increase in the
targeting and profiling of Muslims because of actions taken
by the extremist minority. According to Ambassador Uddin,
the silent majority of non-extremist Muslims is not being
heard and the OIC is taking steps to change this by clearly
defining what is Islam and promoting the need for tolerance.
OIC activities include developing a Youth Forum, motivating
madrasas to discuss tolerance and true Islamic values, and
promoting inter-religious dialogue.

OIC's Increased Focus on Human Rights
--------------


3. (C) Azzout of the OIC Legal Affairs Department said that
in recent years, the OIC has become increasingly active on
issues related to human rights. Azzout reported that in 2005
the heads of member states met to develop a 10-year program
for the promotion and protection of human rights and
announced their intent to develop an independent body to
promote human rights and an Islamic Charter on Human Rights.
In 2006, the OIC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to
organize a workshop to draft the Charter for Human Rights in
Islam.

Religious Tolerance versus Defamation of Religion
-------------- --------------


4. (C) Director General Uddin explained that the OIC sees
negative portrayals of Islam leading to an increased divide
between Muslims and non-Muslims and to increased extremism.
However, the OIC is not content to focus only on efforts to
promote dialogue and understanding, but rather advocates for
the criminalization of expression that incites hostility and
discrimination by developing the concept of "defamation of
religion" in the UN system. The DG explained defamation
within the context of Islamophobia, which he described as a
top OIC concern, but claimed that the issue concerned all
religions. He argued that increasingly heterogeneous
populations mean that religious conflicts are now a "clash of
people" more than they are a clash of civilizations, and that
prohibitions against defamation are necessary to prevent an
"unbridled, destructive course" towards increasing civil
violence.


5. (C) The DG was reluctant to specify precisely what would
constitute defamation of religion. He cited the Danish
cartoons depicting Mohammed as an example that would qualify,
but said that religious criticism per se would not
automatically be considered defamatory. When asked about
hypothetical prohibitions against language that "incites"
versus language that "insults," the DG dismissed the
distinction as a technicality.


6. (C) When presented with the U.S. government's concern that
the concept of prohibiting defamation violates freedom of
expression, the DG responded that the OIC supports this
freedom but not its abuse. Azzout explained that the OIC
sees freedom from Islamophobia as an example of a
"third-generation" human right which should not be violated,
even via the exercise of a "first-generation" right such as
freedom of expression. The DG said that a compromise needs
to be reached between different understandings of these
rights. He closed by recognizing the importance of promoting

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tolerance through dialogue, but said he remains committed to
advocating for legal prohibitions against defamation.

Comment
--------------


7. (C) DRL/MLGA COMMENT: While the U.S. discourages actions
that are offensive to particular religious traditions, the
defamation of religion concept violates freedom of religion
and freedom of expression by limiting the ability of
individuals to hold and share their views freely. In fact,
the concept turns basic human rights norms on their head,
including the right to freedom of thought, conscience and
religion as asserted in Article 18 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and ICCPR, by limiting the right
of individuals to share negative or contrarian views of their
own or other religions, especially Islam. The concept of
defamation of religion has also been used to justify
government actions to silence human rights activists and
religious minorities. The OIC continues to push for
resolutions on this topic in the UN and will probably include
the defamation concept in their Charter. Religious
defamation is an issue that will continue to be discussed and
debated in multilateral human rights fora. The U.S. will
need to combat support for the prohibition of "religious
defamation" in multilateral fora through public diplomacy
outreach and bilateral discussions. END DRL/MLGA COMMENT.
GFOELLER