Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch suggests UN policy against blasphemy

(September 21, 2012) Maronite Catholic Patriarch Bechara Rai has joined in calls for a United Nations policy against defamation of religion. The Lebanese prelate, reacting to the film “Innocence of Muslims”- which he described as an offense against all faiths, not only Islam - said that religious beliefs should be protected from mockery. He pointed out that Christian beliefs are also frequently the target of public attacks. Since religious harmony is an important element of world peace, the Maronite Patriarch suggested that the UN should take the lead in preventing blasphemous attacks.
In a related development, four Anglican bishops from northern Africa have joined in an open letter to the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-Moon, recommending an international policy “that outlaws the intentional and deliberate insulting or defamation of persons (such as prophets), symbols, texts, and constructs of belief deemed holy by people of faith.”