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sonably, belief systems, opinions, and th e negative stereotypi ng of person s.(')
institutions, as long as this does not
amount to advocating hatred against Resolution HRC 16118 was adopted
an individua!.(') without a vote.(3)
This seems to be in reference to the lndividual states interpret these
Organization of lslamic Cooperation
rights in their own way. Most famous-
(OlC) resolutions submitted to the
ly, in France, secularism is a founda-
United Nations Human Rights Coun-
cil. Between 1999 and 2010, the OIC tional principle of the State and thus
submitted annual resolutions that
urged states to prevent the "defama- restricts forms of religious expression
tion of religion"; this resolution re- in public. According to the French
stricted the right to criticize religious Covernment, in the arena of public
figures and symbols, and each year it service, "employees and agents are
passed. However, there was much re-
sistance from the United States and not allowed to manifest their reli-
Northern European countries for gious, political or philosophical be-
what they perceived to be a threat liefs by signs, clothes or proselytism."(a)
to the freedom of religion and free-
The Law of t 5 March 2004 prohibited
dom of expression, and indeed what
they saw as leading to a weakening of all clothing or other attire display-
tolerance rather than strengthen ing ing religious worship to be worn in
it. Thus, in 2011, the OIC submitted schools, which appears to be a fun-
to the UN Human Rights Counci! a damental restriction upon both the
resolution on'Combating intoler-
freedom of religion and the freedom
ance, negative stereotyping and stig-
of expression. While France sees that
matization of, and discrimination, these restrictions enable peaceful
incitement to violence and violence 2- Under paragraph 9 of HRC Resolution
against persons based on religion or
belief.' This resolution shifted the fo- 72008) 191),States were urged to provide
cus from a defamation of religion to "adequate protection against acts of
hatred, discrimination, intimidation and
1- Mogens Schmidt, "Limits to the Restrictions coercion resulting _fro* the defamatioru of
dnJ religion"; whereas resolution 16181
to Freedom of Expression-Criteria and 2011)) emphasized "the need to combat
Application," Religion dv Human Nghts 5, no. denigration and negative religious
z-3 (lanuary 2010). stereotyping of persons" (paragraph 5);
emphasis added.
3- Human Rights Council resolution 16181 of
24 March 2011
4- The French Republic, "Freedoms and
Prohibitions in the Context of 'Latcit6'
(Constitutional Secularism)," n.d., l,https:l I
www.go uvernem en t.frlsi tes/defa u I t/fi les/
con ten u/ piece-jointe/ 201702// libertes-
et_i n terd i ts_en g.pdf.
Freedom of Retigion, Limits on Hate Speech, and Promoting Toterance: A Comparative Study
